Testosterone levels change with subsistence hunting effort in !Kung San men

Although little is known empirically of the physiology of human hunting, arguments for innate biological bases of gender-dimorphic behaviors such as aggression frequently point to the role of hunting in human evolution. Study of !Kung San hunter-gatherer men demonstrated that the diurnal pattern in serum testosterone was altered during a six-day hunt, compared to pre- and post-hunt levels, due mainly to elevation of evening values. Hunting success did not correlate with any testosterone measures. The pattern of changes observed is most consistent with the known concomitants of moderate prolonged exercise.