Abstract
The effect of conspecific sex on maternal aggression in hamsters was determined by comparing the frequency of aggressive responses by dams continuously housed with either a virgin male or female cagemate during pregnancy and lactation. Dams easily established aggressive dominance over male cagemates soon after pairing, and their aggression was low thereafter for the duration of pregnancy and lactation. The aggression of dams with females, on the other hand, tended to fluctuate with highs during mid pregnancy and mid lactation and lows around birth. When dam aggression was low around birth, female cagemates frequently became aggressively dominant, and several dams lost their litters. The higher aggression of dams toward females than males is probably a reflection of greater intrasexual competition for environmental resources that includes pups.
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