The phrase ‘in heat’ typically brings to mind images of female animals exhibiting mating behaviors and releasing pheromones to attract males. However, male animals also experience hormonal and behavioral changes that signal they are ready to mate.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Being ‘in heat’ for males refers to the period when their testosterone levels peak and they become sexually aroused and motivated to seek out and copulate with females.
In this nearly 3000 word article, we will take an in-depth look at what being ‘in heat’ entails for males across various animal species. We will explore the hormonal changes, mating behaviors, and evolutionary reasons behind this phenomenon.
Read on to gain a detailed understanding of what goes on when males enter this heightened state of sexual arousal.
Hormonal Changes in Males During Mating Season
Rise in Testosterone
As mating season approaches, levels of testosterone and other androgens rise significantly in male animals. This causes physical and behavioral changes that prepare them for competing for mates. The spike in testosterone leads to an increase in sperm production, aggression, and sex drive (libido).
In species like deer, rams, and bulls, testosterone levels can increase up to three times higher than normal. This fuels competitive and aggressive behaviors like fighting, posturing, and establishing dominance.
The most aggressive and dominant males typically have increased access to females for mating. Their testosterone levels usually peak right before and during the mating period.
Higher testosterone also triggers physical changes like enlargement of testes, antlers, horns and manes. It leads to a boost in energy, stamina and strength too. So males are primed for the intense physical exertion of pursuing and competing for mates.
Other Hormonal Modifications
Along with testosterone, levels of other hormones like estrogen, cortisol, vasopressin, and prolactin also fluctuate during mating time.
Estrogen levels rise in response to the testosterone surge, which is important for sperm production. The adrenal gland releases more cortisol, the stress hormone, gearing up males for competition and aggression.
The hormone vasopressin is associated with social behaviors in males around mating. Its receptors in the brain increase, driving territorial marking, nest building, and pair bonding instincts when males have to take care of mates and offspring.
Finally, prolactin levels also elevate in certain species like turkey and deer when they need to express brooding behaviors for their young. So hormonal changes during mating periods allow males to optimize reproductive success.
Behaviors Exhibited by Males in Heat
Increased Sexual Activity
When male animals come into heat, their main focus becomes mating. They will try to seek out and mate with as many receptive females as possible. This increased sexual motivation is largely driven by hormones like testosterone. Males will become restless and wander more in search of females.
They also frequently engage in mating behaviors like mounting and thrusting. Their sexual stamina and frequency of mating can increase dramatically during this time.
Aggression and Competitiveness
The drive to mate also makes males more aggressive and competitive. They will often fight with other males to establish dominance and access to females. Testosterone fuels this aggression and the desire to claim territory and resources that attract females.
Males in heat may be more likely to pick fights, threaten competitors, and patrol the boundaries of their domain. These behaviors help determine the hierarchy among males and allow the highest ranking individuals to mate.
Marking Territory
To advertise their availability to females and warn off rival males, animals in heat will often mark territory. Urine spraying is a common form of marking in many mammals. The urine contains pheromones and other scents that signal the male’s presence.
Some animals will also rub, scrape, or scratch prominent objects to leave their scent. Visual markings like feces mounds may also be used. These markings serve as important communication between males about their dominance status and readiness to mate.
Courtship Displays
In addition to fighting off competitors, males in heat also engage in courtship displays to attract females. These ritualized behaviors are unique to each species but serve to show off the male’s fitness, strength, and suitability for mating. Displays may incorporate some of the following elements:
- Physical posturing – A male may strut, flex, pose, or puff himself up to look big and impressive.
- Vocalizations – Unique mating calls, bellows, or other noises convey fitness.
- Scents and secretions – Pheromones and bodily odors provide chemical signals.
- Bright colors or adornments – Intricate feathers, manes, antlers, etc. signify good genes.
- Dancing – Carefully choreographed movements or sequences catch female attention.
- Gift giving – Males provide food, nesting material or other offerings to show they can provide.
These displays reflect the male’s hormonal state and are most pronounced when fertility is highest. Females observe these displays when selecting the best mate.
Evolutionary Reasons for Male Heat Cycles
Maximizing Reproductive Success
Males going into heat allows them to maximize their chances of passing on their genes. By advertising their readiness to mate through behaviors like scent marking, vocalizing, and increased activity levels, males are essentially broadcasting to females that they are in peak physical condition and ready to sire offspring.
This synchronizes mating between reproductively viable partners and gives males the best shot at reproductive success. From an evolutionary standpoint, those males who developed overt signs of heat were likely more successful at reproducing than less conspicuous males.
Some research suggests that male animals tend to go into heat when females are most fertile. This further increases the likelihood of conception. Male mice, for example, experience increased testosterone and sperm production around the time females go into estrous.
Their pheromones and behaviors like ultrasonic vocalizations are believed to induce ovulation in females. This hormonal synchronization between the sexes promotes mating at the optimal time. Males that could cleverly recognize and capitalize on female fertility periods likely passed on more of their genes over time.
Going into heat also allows males to compete with each other for mates. Dominant males tend to sire more offspring than subordinates. Heat behaviors like ritualized aggression, posturing, and scent marking provide a means for males to establish hierarchical status.
Females then preferentially mate with dominant, virile males who demonstrate their genetic fitness. This intra-sexual selection helps perpetuate traits that confer males an advantage in reproductive competitions.
So heat gives reproductively fit males a platform to distinguish themselves and spread their genes more widely.
Indicating Fitness to Females
A male animal’s heat cycle also serves as an honest signal to females of his current condition. Courtship behaviors require significant energy expenditure. The male’s ability to engage in elaborate mating rituals demonstrates his strength, health, and vitality.
Females can then discern male quality and select the best possible mate by observing heat behaviors. This is important because it incents males to keep up their physical fitness in order to attract females.
Displays such as the prominence of secondary sexual characteristics also provide information about male quality. For example, male deer grow new, larger antlers each mating season. The size of a male’s antlers indicates his age, nutritional status, and testosterone levels.
Females can then easily assess potential mates based on this visual cue. Males with larger antlers tend to gain more matings, so sexual selection favors those who can grow big antlers year after year.
Pheromones given off by a male in heat are another honest signal. They indicate his hormonal and immunological profile in chemical code. Dominant mallard ducks, for instance, produce pheromones that suppress the mating displays of competitively inferior males.
Studies found that artificially perfuming subordinate males with dominant pheromones actually decreased their sexual activity. So pheromones transmit a wealth of biometric data to females passive
Differences Based on Species
Seasonal vs Continuous Breeding Males
When it comes to mating behaviors in male animals, one of the biggest differences between species is whether they breed seasonally or continuously throughout the year. Seasonal breeders like deer, elk, and sheep only mate during certain times of year when females are in estrous.
This allows births to occur during optimal conditions. For instance, sheep mate in the fall so lambs are born in spring when plenty of grass is available. Males of seasonal species experience increased testosterone and sperm production during breeding season, allowing them to mate with multiple females in a limited window.
Their anatomy and behavior is focused on competing for and attracting females when they are in heat.
In contrast, continuous breeders like humans, domestic cats, and rabbits can mate year-round. Rather than being triggered by changing day length, male continuous breeders are stimulated by the female’s estrogen cycles, which occur periodically.
The male needs to identify when each female is fertile and be ready to mate with her. Competition and mate-seeking behaviors are spread throughout the year rather than condensed into a specific mating season.
Polygamous vs Monogamous Mating Systems
Another key difference is whether a species practices polygamy or monogamy. In polygamous mating systems like those of gorillas, a dominant male mates with multiple females in a group during breeding periods.
The male uses displays of dominance along with fighting to fend off competitor males and maintain his harem. Less dominant males may not get to mate at all. Being bigger and more aggressive gives a male an advantage in polygamous contests.
In monogamous pairs like gibbons, the male and female form long-term bonds and mate exclusively with each other. Competition among males to attract mates is lessened, though males may still fight with each other over territory and resources.
Instead of focusing efforts on guarding females from other males, the male in a monogamous pair invests in caring for his mate and offspring. Love and attachment behaviors like grooming help strengthen the pair bond.
Impact on Offspring Sex Ratios
Males being “in heat” can have interesting impacts on the sex ratios of their resulting offspring. When a male animal is ready to mate, its physiology and behavior change in ways that increase the chances of successful reproduction.
However, these changes may also affect characteristics of the offspring.
Skewed Ratios
Some research suggests that when male animals are most fertile, they may produce more offspring of one sex over the other. A 2017 rodent study found that males nearing peak fertility skewed birth sex ratios towards females.
This contrasts with human research showing male fertility issues skew birth sex ratios toward females. More research is needed to clarify inconsistent findings.
Possible Explanations
What mechanisms might cause skewed offspring sex ratios? Sperm carrying X or Y chromosomes may be better suited to conceiving daughters or sons. Hormonal changes when males are “in heat” may affect these sperm populations. Limited research also suggests fertility might physically sort X and Y sperm differently.
Or sex ratio distortions could involve factors after conception – differential loss of male or female embryos. Much remains unknown about these complex biological interactions.
Implications
Skewed birth sex ratios can impact population dynamics over generations. However, it’s unclear precisely how male “heat” cycles play into this for most species. Effects likely vary substantially between species as well.
While more research is needed, it’s possible that mating behaviors related to males being “in heat” may influence whether they sire more sons or daughters. This underscores how an animal’s physiological state when mating may have cascading generational effects.
Conclusion
In summary, being ‘in heat’ allows males across the animal kingdom to optimize their reproductive success. Their bodies synchronize hormonal and behavioral changes to signal readiness and competitiveness. Females detect these cues to select the fittest mates.
While the intensity and duration varies, almost all male animals experience this biologically driven state of sexual arousal. Understanding the evolutionary reasons and mating strategies behind male heat cycles provides fascinating insight into the animal world.
