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. 2024 Apr 22;11(4):182.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci11040182.

Addressing Combative Behaviour in Spanish Bulls by Measuring Hormonal Indicators

Juan Carlos Illera  1 , Francisco Jimenez-Blanco  1 , Luis Centenera  1 , Fernando Gil-Cabrera  1 , Belen Crespo  1 , Paula Rocio Lopez  1 , Gema Silvan  1 , Sara Caceres  1
Affiliations

Addressing Combative Behaviour in Spanish Bulls by Measuring Hormonal Indicators

Juan Carlos Illera et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

The fighting bull is characterised by its natural aggressiveness, but the physiological mechanisms that underlie its aggressive behaviour are poorly studied. This study determines the hormonal component of aggressiveness in fighting bulls by analysing their behaviour during a fight and correlating it to their serotonin, dopamine and testosterone levels. We also determine whether aggressive behaviour can be estimated in calves. Using 195 animals, samples were obtained when the animals were calves and after 5 years. Aggressiveness scores were obtained by an observational method during bullfights, and serotonin, dopamine and testosterone levels were determined in all animals using validated enzyme immunoassay kits. The results revealed a strong correlation of serotonin and dopamine levels with aggressiveness scores in bulls during fights, but no correlation was found with respect to testosterone. These correlations led to established cut-off point and linear regression curves to obtain expected aggressiveness scores for calves at shoeing. There were no significant differences between the expected scores obtained in calves and the observed scores in bulls. Therefore, this study demonstrates that hormone determination in calves may be a great indicator of combativeness in bulls and can reliably be used in the selection of fighting bulls.

Keywords: dopamine; fighting bull; serotonin; testosterone.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of aggressive behaviour scores in the different encastes studied, with different superscripts denoting significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Serum serotonin concentrations of the different groups studied. (B) Serum serotonin concentrations of the different encastes studied, with different superscripts denoting significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Serum dopamine concentrations in the different groups studied. (B) Concentrations of dopamine in the serum of the different encastes studied, with different superscripts denoting significant differences (p < 0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Serum testosterone concentrations in the different groups studied. (B) Serum testosterone concentrations of the different encastes studied, with different superscripts denoting significant differences (p < 0.05). ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Correlations between serum serotonin (A), dopamine (B) and testosterone (C) concentrations analysed in bulls and the corresponding aggressiveness scores obtained during the fights.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Classification of bulls according to their aggressive behaviour scores during fights.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Serum serotonin (A) and dopamine (B) concentrations in the bulls divided according to their aggressive behaviour scores.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for (A) serotonin–aggressive behaviour and (B) ROC dopamine–aggressive behaviour.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(A) Serum testosterone concentrations in the bulls classified according to their aggressive behaviour scores. (B) ROC curves for testosterone–aggressive behaviour.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Correlation between serum serotonin (A), dopamine (B) and testosterone (C) concentrations analysed in calves and the corresponding previously calculated expected aggressiveness scores.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Expected and observed aggressiveness scores in calves as a function of serum serotonin (A) and dopamine (B) concentrations.
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