Male woolly mammoths turned into sex fiends when in heat, just like modern elephants do, a new study of ancient hormones preserved in the tusks of the extinct giants has revealed.
By charting the annual surges of testosterone in a 33,000-year-old mammoth tusk, researchers have discovered that mammoths underwent musth. The word, which means "drunk" in its original Persian, is a months-long period of heightened sexual activity and aggression towards rivals experienced by modern male elephants. During musth, a male elephant's testosterone can soar to up to 60 times its natural levels.
