Female mate choice significantly increases captive breeding success, and scents can be frozen to determine choice, in the stripe-faced dunnart

In practical experiments, several species experienced greater pair and reproductive success when paired with males they demonstrated a scent preference for.

“In practical experiments using this method several species, including stripe-faced dunnart [23], cheetah [47], and harvest mouse (Micromys minutus [48]), experienced greater pair and reproductive success when paired with the males they demonstrated a scent preference for.”

The reproductive strategy of an animal varies by species, including female choice or rejection, male selection, and coercive strategies.

“The reproductive strategy of an animal varies depending on the species; for example, in some animals, the female chooses or rejects the males (striped-faced dunnarts Sminthopsis macroura [23]), [24] while in others, males select the females [25] sometimes using coercive strategies [13].”

In stripe-faced dunnarts, freezing scent samples for up to 40 days did not impact scent preference in females.

“Furthermore, in their study of stripe-faced dunnarts, Parrott et al. [23] demonstrated that freezing scent samples for up to 40 days did not impact scent preference in females, indicating that such methods may be broadly useful even for potential pairs who live significant distances apart.”