Woolly mammoths were sexual animals

During their estrus woolly mammoth They were sexual animals, according to a new study of ancient hormones preserved in the tusks of extinct giants.

By studying annual testosterone spikes in a 33,000-year-old mammoth tusk, the researchers found that the mammoths suffered from must. The word, which means “drunk” in Persian, refers to a period of several months of increased sexual activity and aggression towards rivals that modern male elephants experience. During wort, male elephant testosterone can rise up to 60 times its natural level.

“Tusks are particularly promising for reconstructing aspects of mammoth life history because they preserve records of the growth of dentin layers that form throughout a person’s life,” said the co-author of the study. Daniel Fisherpaleontologist from the University of Michigan (UM), said in a statement.

UM researchers and their international colleagues report annual recurring testosterone spikes up to 10 times baseline levels in a woolly mammoth tusk preserved in the permafrost of Siberia. An adult male mammoth lived over 33,000 years ago.

Research shows that both modern and ancient fangs contain traces of testosterone and other steroid hormones. These chemicals are incorporated into dentin, the mineralized tissue that makes up the inside of all teeth (canines are elongated upper incisors).

“This study establishes that dentin is a useful repository for several hormones and lays the foundation for further advances in the emerging field of paleoendocrinology,” Czerny said. “In addition to being widely used in zoology and paleontology, data on dental hormones can help in medical, forensic and archaeological research.”

The study required new methods, developed in the laboratory of UM endocrinologist and study co-author Rich Ohus, to extract steroids from tusk dentin for measurement with a mass spectrometer, an instrument that identifies chemicals by classifying ions based on their mass and charge.