Rank-related maternal effects of androgens on behaviour in wild spotted hyaenas

S. M. Dloniak (), J. A. French and K. E. Holekamp
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S. M. Dloniak: Michigan State University
J. A. French: University of Nebraska at Omaha
K. E. Holekamp: Michigan State University

Nature, 2006, vol. 440, issue 7088, 1190-1193

Abstract: A mother's touch Prenatal exposure to parental sex hormones has a profound influence on mammals as they grow and develop. In the female-dominated society of the spotted hyaena, this phenomenon is taken to extremes. Dloniak et al. demonstrate for the first time a relationship between the social rank of a hyaena and its exposure to androgens (‘male’ hormones) during pregnancy. This relationship is also strongly linked to the habitual aggressiveness of the offspring, suggesting a mechanism for the transfer of status-related traits from mother to offspring through pre-natal hormone exposure.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04540

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