A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE COURT'SHIP DISPLAY OF THE RED-EARED TURT'LE, CHRYSEMYS SCRIPTA ELEGANS (WIED)

The courtship display of the red-eared turtle, Chrysemys scripta elegans (Wied), was analyzed by high-speed videotape and photographic procedures. An ethogram of courtship behavior was constructed. Fixed action patterns involving the forelimbs and foreclaws of the male were identified and quantified. Three major components of the display are recognized: signaling posture, bout, and titillation sequence. The signaling posture may or may not precede a bout of display and is variable in duration. The bout consists of a complex, stereotyped series of movements in which the male's forelimbs are brought parallel to the female's head and the claws of the forepaws are drummed and vibrated against the eyes and interocular region of the female. These movements were resolved into seven motor patterns which were defined, quantified, and organized into temporal se- quences. The titillation sequence is composed of a variable number of bouts and may or may not be preceded by the signaling posture. The number of bouts in titillation sequences followed by at- tempted mounting varies greatly.