Forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) are endangered ungulates, and captive breeding has been effective for its ex situ conservation and sustainable medicinal musk utilization in traditional Asian traditional medicine. Methods of focal sampling and all-occurrence recording were used to evaluate the intensity of stereotypic behaviors and personality traits in 25 captive male forest musk deer. Additionally, musk secretion was monitored in this study, and muscone content was measured with gas chromatography, thereby analyzing the interrelationship between their stereotypic behavior, personality traits, and musk secretion. The results revealed no significant differences in stereotypic behaviors or personality traits across age groups (p > 0.05). Individuals with stereotypic behaviors showed a tendency toward secreting higher amounts of musk and muscone content compared to those without stereotypic behaviors, although these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the exploratory behavior level and active behavior level were not significantly correlated with the secretion amount of musk. However, both the exploratory behavior level and active behavior level exhibited significant positive correlations with muscone content (p < 0.05). These findings provide valuable insights for the breeding, welfare, and ex situ conservation of endangered forest musk deer.

The Sox (SRY-related high-mobility group box) gene family encodes transcription factors characterized by a conserved high-mobility group (HMG) box DNA-binding domain and plays essential roles in metazoan development, including sex determination, embryogenesis, neurogenesis, organogenesis, and reproductive regulation. Seasonal breeders provide valuable models for investigating reproductive regulation. The Daurian ground squirrel (Spermophilus dauricus) is a typical species for studying seasonal reproductive adaptation. In this study, Sox genes were identified at the genome-wide level in the Daurian ground squirrel. A total of 11 genes were identified and classified into 5 subfamilies, SoxC (SdSox4, SdSox11), SoxD (SdSox5, SdSox6, SdSox13), SoxE (SdSox8, SdSox9, SdSox10), SoxF (SdSox17, SdSox18), SoxG (SdSox15). Structural and evolutionary analyses revealed conserved HMG domains along with diversification among subfamilies. The genetic homology of the Sox family between the Daurian ground squirrel and the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) was discovered through collinearity analysis. Furthermore, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining revealed seasonal morphological changes in the testes of the adult Daurian ground squirrel. The seasonal expression patterns of 7 reproduction-related Sox genes were analyzed in testicular tissues. All analyzed genes exhibited significantly higher expression levels in the breeding season than the non-breeding season. Notably, SdSox5, SdSox6, SdSox8, and SdSox13 showed pronounced seasonal differences in expression by the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). This study provides new insights into the evolutionary characteristics and potential roles of Sox genes in seasonal reproductive regulation in mammals.

Enclosure space constitutes the fundamental habitat for captive animals, directly influencing domestication success and production performance. Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), an endangered ungulate present on the Tibet plateau and surrounding areas, has been commonly farmed in captivity as an essential strategy for the ex situ conservation and sustainable musk production. In captive musk deer farming, understanding spatial selection patterns within enclosures is critical for improving farming practices. To evaluate patterns of space use under captive conditions and the effect of enclosure designing, we studied 70 captive Alpine musk deer housed in 17 enclosures at the Zhuanglang Musk Deer Breeding Farm (Gansu, China) during the summer of 2022 (from July 1st to August 29th). Focal sampling and all-occurrence recording were adopted to collect the behavioral data of the musk deer, and the point occupancy rate was calculated to analyze the enclosure space utilization patterns. The results showed significant differences in activity site selection and shelter use time among captive musk deer (p < 0.05). The central enclosure site (G5), which contains the shelter, exhibited the highest utilization rate (21.21 ± 9.19%). Shelter use was significantly higher in adults (22.09 ± 7.80%) than in subadults (17.27 ± 3.98%) (p < 0.05), and significantly higher in males (29.55 ± 5.65%) than in females (20.86 ± 7.95%) (p < 0.05). However, at equal population density, the shelter use time between all-male and mixed-sex groups was not significant (p > 0.05). These results reveal that captive Alpine musk deer display distinct shelter use patterns, with shelters acting as key spatial resources. Therefore, this study provides practical implications for optimizing enclosure design (e.g., increasing shelter quantity and improving spatial distribution) to enhance the welfare and productivity of captive Alpine musk deer.

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.