The mystery of Bridget, the female lion who suddenly grew a mane, has been solved. The lioness' strange new hair-do is caused by elevated levels of the hormones cortisol and androstenedione, not testosterone as originally suggested. The elevated hormones are likely due to a benign tumor in her adrenal glands.
When Bridget, an 18-year-old lioness at the Oklahoma City Zoo, first began to grow a mane last March, her veterinarians weren't sure why. They suggested that a hormone imbalance may be to blame but couldn't confirm this without blood tests. However, Bridget's vets didn't want to put the geriatric lioness under anesthesia in order to get a blood drawing, AJC reported.
Instead, they trained her to offer her tail in exchange for horse meat so that they get blood this way.
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It took several attempts in order to collect enough blood from Bridget's tail in order to do proper blood work. The team also needed to collect a blood sample from Bridget's sister Tia to serve as a baseline comparison. Now, the results have finally come in.
Bridget's testosterone levels were identical to her sister's, a zoo blog revealed. However, her cortisol and androstenedione levels were elevated. Cortisol, also known as the "stress hormone" is associated with the body's immune response and the metabolism; androstenedione is a sex hormone. Both are produced in the adrenal glands.
Related: Female Lion At Oklahoma Zoo Suddenly Grows A Luscious Beard
Although the researchers suspect that a tumor in Bridget's adrenal gland is causing these elevated hormone levels, the elevation does not seem to be affecting her health. For this reason, they will likely not operate on the elderly lion. The zoo will keep an eye on Bridget to ensure that the hormone changes continue to not affect her health.
As for her mane, Dr. Jennifer D'Agostino, director of veterinary services at the zoo, wrote in the blog that it will likely not grow anymore, but adds that "only time will tell."
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