Wombats are Dubbedbiting butts when they're ready to make love.
That's what researchers from Australia's University of Queensland have found in a study, published in the journal Reproduction, Fertility and Development, looking at behavioural indicators of the southern hairy-nosed wombat when breeding.
SEE ALSO: Sharks apparently don't mind jazz musicSouthern-hairy nosed wombats don't breed well under captivity, and they are a species which is currently under threat.
Researchers observed the wombats using infrared cameras, as the marsupials are predominantly nocturnal. There they found the female pacing around, possibly related to its desire to find a suitable mate.
"Female wombats in the wild have been found to move around more than the males so it is possible that she goes out looking for potential mates in anticipation for breeding," Tamara Keeley, one of the authors of the study, explained to Mashable via email.
What's more, its urination patterns changed -- less volume, more concentrated -- which could be linked to hormonal changes in the body. And, as mentioned, the females were found to be biting the male's rump, at a time when he tries to mate her.
"It is possible that this biting behaviour is in response to an increased amount of attention by the male, a lack of interest in that particular male, or a means of trying to challenge him before mating to see if she deems him a suitable mate," Keeley added.
The wombat isn't alone in its odd mating habits. Increased aggression, like butt biting, is a behavioural trait that's found in other animals. Depending on the species, it's linked to pair incompatibility or as a means to challenge the male.
Scientists are still trying to understand the reproductive biology of the wombat, and behaviour is one way they can gain more knowledge. Changes in urination, increased pacing, and erm, butt biting, could be all useful indicators for when they're looking to breed.
"In some species, but not the wombat, females show behaviour signs associated with being in oestrus (receptive to the male)," Keeley said.
"In wombats we were looking for any changes in any behaviour that might be linked to her reproductive status. Knowing when a female will be receptive to a male will help us better manage the animal and hopefully increase breeding success."
Bomb Envy
Listen to Hebe Uhart, Now That She’s Gone by Alejandra Costamagna
In 2023, we were girls together
Iceland's volcanic eruption is happening — and you can watch it live
Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Save $170 on Dyson Hot+Cool
Taylor Swift is Time's Person of the Year, the internet reacts
More UFOs Than Ever Before by Rich Cohen
'Rebel Moon
Diseases from mosquitos and ticks have tripled in the U.S., CDC finds
Trash Talk: On Translating Garbage by Lina Mounzer
Japan orders Google to stop alleged antitrust violations
On Cussing by Katherine Dunn
Dictionary.com names 'hallucinate' its 2023 Word of the Year
The best Gag City posts on X, in honor of Pink Friday 2
Productivity Boost: Enable 'Night Mode' on All Your Devices
On Nighttime by Hanif Abdurraqib
Best Peloton alternative deal: save 55% on the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle
Eating Oatmeal with Alasdair Gray by Valerie Stivers
Sony PULSE Elite PS5 headset open
Best cordless vacuum deal: slash $115 off the Shark Pet cordless vacuum as a Target Circle member
A Tribe Called Quest brought raw political fire to the Grammys stageHow one company is transforming trash into clean energyEverything you need to know about Valentine's Day you learned in second grade6 gods of love for the modern eraFrom Ian to Helene to Milton: Extreme weather is anything but 'natural'From Ian to Helene to Milton: Extreme weather is anything but 'natural'Good one, humans. You've polluted even the deepest trenches of the sea.Bruno Mars' tribute to Prince at the Grammys was greatPaul Pogba unveils new handshake on Twitter, and his partner will warm your heartPeople just can't get enough of ADHM's music, sets record with a billion streams11 people and things to celebrate on Valentine's Day besides a significant otherA Tribe Called Quest brought raw political fire to the Grammys stageWhy Google's Valentine's Day game is a lot darker than you thinkGoogle's former CEO: Companies shouldn't let climate concerns slow AI advancesToday is not a good day to be named Gerry SanduskySiri has some fresh thoughts on love just in time for Valentine's DayIndia's database with biometric details of its billion citizens ignites privacy debateThe 3 places NASA could hunt for signs of ancient life on Mars in 2020Google's former CEO: Companies shouldn't let climate concerns slow AI advancesHedgehog trapped in a yoghurt pot gets a shakedown from the cops Trump has started a meme fight with Nickelback and the band is winning Emoji reacts are finally coming to Google Meet Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael nailed it with his opening speech John Legend and son Miles play piano together in extremely cute video Mom goes to the bathroom for 45 seconds and returns to find her toddler on a treadmill Scientists used James Webb telescope to find an Earth The best moments of the 2023 Golden Globes Ryan Reynolds and Chris Pratt trade blows on Twitter over their fantasy football league Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for January 11 'Archive zombies' will crawl back into your messages long after your interest has died 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for January 15 Meta Quest 1 will no longer get feature updates 5 tech companies with official self Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for January 15 #TrumpMeltdown catches on after a long day of yelling from the president Apple banned his Hong Kong protest app from the App Store. Now he wants answers. Does 'The Last of Us' Season 1 cover the entire first game? 'Velma' review: A bizarre take on 'Scooby Doo's brainiac Comfort food in the age of self Here's Robert De Niro firing F