Lordosis behavior, or Mammalian lordosis, is a sexual response in mammals, such as mice and cats, that consists of a ventral arching of the spine. During lordosis, the spine curves so that the apex points in the ventral direction. That is, the convexity of the curve is on the side of the "belly" and the concavity of the curve is on the side of the back. Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in... Feral mouse A mouse (plural mice) is a rodent that belongs to one of numerous species of small mammals. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... The vertebral column seen from the side Different regions (curvatures) of the vertebral column The vertebral column (backbone or spine) is a column of vertebrae situated in the dorsal aspect of the abdomen. ... Look up apex in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Lordosis aids in copulation, as it elevates the hips to allow for intercourse. It is commonly seen in females during ]].^[1] A pair of lions copulating in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. ...

In female mice during oestrus, the hormone, estradiol (a hormone of the class of hormones known as estrogens), affects neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus, the periaqueductal gray and other areas of the brain. Sexual stimuli trigger activity in a number of brain areas, including the ventromedial hypothalamus, which sends impulses down axons synapsing with neurons in the periaqueductal gray. These convey an impulse to neurons in the medullary reticular formation which project down the reticulospinal tract and synapse with afferent neurons in the spinal cord (L1-L6) which contract muscles along the spine to exhibit the lordosis posture. Since these afferent neurons are also part of a reflex arc, lordosis can also be triggered reflexively.^{[citation needed]} Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... Estradiol (17β-estradiol) (also oestradiol) is a sex hormone. ... Estriol. ... Drawing by Santiago Ramón y Cajal of neurons in the pigeon cerebellum. ... The hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland (hypophysis). ... Periaqueductal Gray (PAG; also called the central gray) is the midbrain grey matter that is located around the cerebral aqueduct within the midbrain. ... In animals, the brain or encephalon (Greek for in the head), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for behaviour. ... A reflex arc is the neural pathway mediating a reflex. ... A reflex action or reflex is a biological control system linking stimulus to response and mediated by a reflex arc. ...

See also

• Lordosis

Lordosis is a term used to describe the direction of the curvature of the five lumbar and seven cervical vertebrae of the vertebral column. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.jstor.org/view/00335770/dm994703/99p1577y/0