The role of testosterone in the organization, maintenance and activation of pup-killing behavior in the male rat.

When placed together with a group of newborn pups, an adult male rat will usually kill and devour the pups whereas a female usually will not. The present experiment was designed to further examine the role of testosterone in the development and exhibition of this sexually dimorphic behavior by controlling the presence or absence of testosterone during three age spans: Days 2–30, 31–90, and 91–120. The results indicate that it is meaningful to use the developmental concepts of organization and activation with regard to the hormonal control of pup-killing behavior, but exposure to testosterone between organization and activation (i.e., maintenance) was not necessary.