In many species, females frequently mate with more than one
male. Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna (Vetmeduni
Vienna) aimed to find out why. In experiments on wild house mice, they
discovered that females mate with multiple males when they have the opportunity
to choose their mates freely. Sexual coercion by males could be ruled out as a
factor. The results were published in the Journal of Behavioral Ecology and
Sociobiology.