Figure 3.

Hormonal characterization of an acute stress response in subordinate adult meerkats of both sexes. (a) Prolactin levels in blood samples drawn 10–20 min post-capture were significantly higher than in blood samples collected within 10 min of capture and after 20 min of capture. Graph shows percentage change from the level measured within 10 min of capture. (b) Plasma cortisol levels increased significantly with increasing capture-to-bleed time. The ‘a’ and ‘b’ arrows mark the median level of plasma cortisol in focal males during the control and experimental playbacks, respectively.