Wildlife endocrinology
Wildlife endocrinology is the study of how hormones affect animals that live in the wild. Hormones are special chemicals that are made in different parts of an animal's body and travel through the bloodstream to different organs, telling them what to do.
For example, when a female animal is ready to mate, her body produces hormones that tell the male animals that she is available. When a mother animal gives birth to her babies, her body produces hormones that help her to produce milk and care for her offspring.
Scientists who study wildlife endocrinology are interested in how hormones affect animal behavior, reproduction, and survival. They want to understand how changes in the environment, such as climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction, can affect an animal's hormone levels and, in turn, its health and wellbeing.
By studying wildlife endocrinology, scientists can learn more about how animals adapt to their environments and how they respond to stress and other challenges. This knowledge can help us to manage wildlife populations and ensure that they continue to thrive in the wild.
For example, when a female animal is ready to mate, her body produces hormones that tell the male animals that she is available. When a mother animal gives birth to her babies, her body produces hormones that help her to produce milk and care for her offspring.
Scientists who study wildlife endocrinology are interested in how hormones affect animal behavior, reproduction, and survival. They want to understand how changes in the environment, such as climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction, can affect an animal's hormone levels and, in turn, its health and wellbeing.
By studying wildlife endocrinology, scientists can learn more about how animals adapt to their environments and how they respond to stress and other challenges. This knowledge can help us to manage wildlife populations and ensure that they continue to thrive in the wild.