Female mongooses may abort spontaneously to save energy for breeding: Study
Female mongooses may use spontaneous abortion to cope with reproductive competition, and to save their energy for future breeding attempts in better conditions, according to a study.
The researchers, including those from the University of Helsinki in Finland, followed a population of wild banded mongooses -- Mungos mungo -- in western Uganda for 15 years.
They used ultrasound imaging to track which females became pregnant, and which carried to full term.
These mongooses, the researchers said, are cooperative breeders, living in family groups where several females give birth at the same time to a litter that is jointly cared for by all the members.
However, they added that co-breeding females compete over whose offspring do best.
According to the researchers, pups that are born bigger have more help from their group members, grow faster, and outcompete their littermates.
The results of the study, published in the journal Biology Letters, revealed that there were more abortions during ..