Conflict Social Networks of Critically Endangered Alpine Musk Deer in Captivity and Relationships With Fecal Steroid Hormones

ABSTRACT

Captive breeding is an important conservation strategy for endangered Alpine musk deer ( Moschus chrysogaster ), but confined captive environments often lead to frequent conflict interactions among individuals. This study combined behavioral sampling, social network analysis, and fecal hormone measurement to examine whether group sex composition affects aggression and stress in captive Alpine musk deer. The results showed that centrality was correlated with cortisol ( r  = 0.359, p  = 0.047) and testosterone ( r  = 0.443, p  = 0.013) only in all‐male groups. Musk deer in all‐male groups showed significantly higher conflict network density (0.75 ± 0.06) than those in mixed‐sex groups (0.45 ± 0.29, p  = 0.006), while mixed‐sex groups had higher centralization (860.50 ± 258.34 vs. 327.11 ± 162.29, p  = 0.031). Fecal cortisol and testosterone metabolites were also significantly higher in all‐male groups. Moreover, all‐male groups musk deer displayed more frequent and scattered conflicts. We recommend mixed‐sex housing to lower conflict and stress; for all‐male groups, relocating highly central and aggressive individuals can help stabilize captive populations.