Biologists from Cornell University (USA) have found that female Gambian hamster mice (giant African mice) can close the vagina if they don’t want to have offspring. Results of the study published in the journal Current Biology.
These mice are very large (about a meter long) and easy to train. They wear a backpack with radio and video communication and send people under the ruins, for example, to save them. They can also find mines, smell tuberculosis. They even try to teach them how to fight poaching.
Usually rodents are prone to uncontrolled breeding, but the Gambian hamster mouse differs from its counterparts. Therefore, experts cannot dilute them in the right amount for the above purposes. Research on reproductive behavior began in 2019. Since then, scientists have discovered that with a lifespan of eight years, some females delay breeding until they are four years old. Some stop breeding after a successful pregnancy.
The team discovered that many female mice not only stop breeding, they literally close their vaginas. The animal’s uterus shrunk and the vaginal opening enlarged together. Moreover, their urine had a completely different chemical composition from that of actively breeding females.
The scientists came to such conclusions after observing the “crossing” described above in 17 of 51 female mice. Some people have opened and closed the vagina several times in their lifetime. Moreover, when one of the actively breeding females died of old age, the other seven previously non-breeding females were ready to give offspring.
“We did not find any external factors that would affect women’s behavior. Based on this, we hypothesize that females can suppress the reproduction of others by using variable pheromone olfactory cues. Roughly speaking, one mother female forbids the others from breeding. “Instead of owning their own rats, scientists are nannying for foreigners,” he said.