Female influences on pair formation, reproduction and male stress responses in a monogamous cavy (Galea monasteriensis).

We examined the possible existence of, and female contributions to, pair bonds, as well as the relation of social preference to mating selectivity, in a recently identified wild guinea pig, the Muenster yellow-toothed cavy (Galea monasteriensis). In Experiment 1, females housed for approximately 20 days in an apparatus in which they could choose to approach and interact with unfamiliar males typically exhibited a robust preference for one of two available males. DNA fingerprinting revealed a strong association between female choice and paternity.