Relation of Adrenal Weight to Social Rank of Mice

Abstract

Mature male “wild-strain mice,” isolated from weaning, were placed in groups of 6 for 4 hours a day for 10 days. The social or dominance rank of each mouse was determined. Adrenal and body weights were obtained for each mouse. A significant relationship was found between adrenal weight and social rank. It is concluded that high-ranking mice have smaller adrenals than do low-ranking mice.