Androstenedione may organize or activate sex-reversed traits in female spotted hyenas.
Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta Erxleben) present a unique syndrome of reversal in behavioral and anatomical distinction between the sexes: females are heavier and more aggressive than males and dominant over them. The female's external genitalia include a false scrotum and a fully erectile pseudopenis through which mating and birth take place. Results of studies of circulating testosterone levels in wild spotted hyenas do not account for the "male-like" characteristics of the female. Androstenedione, however, is consistently higher in females than in males, particularly during early infancy. Experiments on rodents show that androstenedione can be a potent organizer of anatomical and behavioral differentiation. This study suggests that it may also produce the profound virilization of female spotted hyenas.
Glickman
S E
SE
Frank
L G
LG
Davidson
J M
JM
Smith
E R
ER
Siiteri
P K
PK
D000375:Aging; D000735:Androstenedione / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002335:Carnivora / Q000502:physiology*; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010052:Ovariectomy; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D013739:Testosterone; D000735:Androstenedione