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A comparison of fecal steroid metabolite concentrations between harem and bachelor stallions in a free‐Ranging population of przewalski's horses ( Equus ferus przewalskii)
Author(s) -
D'SouzaAnjo Maureen,
Christensen Bruce W.,
Brabender Kristin,
Zimmermann Waltraut,
Kass Philip H.,
Schwarzenberger Franz
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.21348
Subject(s) - harem , biology , capra hircus , androsterone , testosterone (patch) , breed , horse , equus , population , estrogen , physiology , zoology , endocrinology , hormone , steroid , medicine , paleontology , environmental health
The aim of this study was to determine whether concentrations of reproductive steroid hormone metabolites significantly differed between harem stallions and bachelor stallions in the free ranging group of Przewalski's horses ( Equus ferus przewalskii) at the Hortobágy National Park in Hungary. Throughout the study, fecal samples were collected from 21 harem stallions and 15 bachelor stallions and analyzed for immunoreactive estrogen and androgen metabolites. Harem stallions demonstrated significantly higher concentrations of estrogen ( P < 0.001) and epi‐androsterone ( P < 0.001), but not testosterone ( P = 0.426). These findings confirm that sociosexual status has a significant effect on androgen concentrations in individual Przewalski stallions. Zoo Biol. 36:127–131, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.