Updated by: Arabinda Naik
Most of the mammals are seasonal breeders, which means breeding in a specific period of the year. Ovulation occurs and copulation takes place during this time. In such mammals the females become sexually responsive in that season. This period of sexual responsiveness of females is called oestrous cycle or heat period. This period is followed by anestrous period, during which the female does not copulate with male. Females allow copulate only during oestrous cycle.
Anestrous: Resting interval between two successive oestrous cycles. Cow, goat, horse, buffalo, dog breeds one or two season of a year.
Proestrus: is the preparatory stage for an animal coming into heat.
Polyoestrous: having more than one period of estrus per year.
Metestrus: a brief period characterized with decline of corpus luteum functions without conception when the activities of reproductive organs gradually subside, diestrus, a period of short rest during the breeding season.
Two Most wild animals are monoestrous. Ex. Sheep, dear. Polyoestrous are rats and mice.
In this cycle menstruation does not take place. Broken endometrium does not pass out and the endometrial lining gets reabsorbed.