Activity pattern, reproductive behaviors and gonadal hormones in the XXXX ( @entity8418 ).

@entity172 @entity251 @entity1420 @entity235 @entity8418 @entity134
The objectives of this study were to (1) assess year-round behaviors and activity patterns of captive @entity8418 ( @entity8418 ) and (2) characterize the species' reproductive endocrinology. Behaviors and activity patterns of 12 (5.7) animals were recorded over a 1-year period. During that time, fecal samples were collected 2-7 times/week from 16 (7.9) individuals (six of these were included in the behavioral study) for the analysis of @entity251 , @entity1420 and @entity172 metabolite concentrations. Activity pattern and excretion of gonadal steroids followed a seasonal pattern. Specifically, @entity235 were cathemeral in summer, and primarily nocturnal in winter. In the males, @entity251 concentrations were at baseline from April through September, began to rise in October and reached peak concentrations in February (P<0.05). In the females, elevated @entity172 (P<0.05) was observed in March followed by an increase in progestagen concentrations from March through May (P<0.05) in both pregnant and pseudopregnant animals. Gender significantly influenced monthly @entity251 / @entity172 ratio (P<0.01); values were higher in males than in females throughout the year with overall percentage of overlapping values between males and females being 28%. In summary, this study characterized cirannual fluctuations in behaviors and gonadal @entity134 metabolites in the @entity8418 maintained in captivity. Because there is no obvious sexual dimorphism, the differences in @entity251 / @entity172 ratio may be useful for gender differentiation (72% accuracy), especially among individuals living in the wild.
