Lordosis behavior

Lordosis behavior, also known as mammalian lordosis (Greek lordōsis, from lordos "bent backward") or presenting, is the naturally occurring body posture for sexual receptivity to copulation adopted by some mammals including elephants, rodents, felines. The primary characteristics of the behavior are a lowering of the forelimbs but with the rear limbs extended and hips raised, ventral arching of the spine and a raising, or sideward displacement, of the tail. During lordosis, the spine curves dorsoventrally so that its apex points towards the abdomen.

The lordosis position is facilitated by the appropriate sensory input, such as touch or smell. For example, in female hamsters, when they are in the correct hormonal state there are areas on the flank that, when touched by the male, facilitate lordosis.

Lordosis is a reflex action that causes many non-primate female mammals to adopt a body position that is often crucial to reproductive behavior. The posture moves the pelvic tilt in an anterior direction, with the posterior pelvis rising up, the bottom angling backward and the front angling downward. Lordosis aids in copulation as it elevates the hips, thereby facilitating penetration by the penis. It is commonly seen in female mammals during estrus (being "in heat"). Lordosis occurs both during pre-copulatory behavior and during copulation itself.

Lordosis brain circuits are connected with other neural circuits, especially the olfactory and reward systems.

The main phases of reproductive behavior are:

There is thus, in the innate neurobiological organization of the organism, a true heterosexual reproductive behavior in non-primate mammals.

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