Analysis of ear sebum of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) reveals pronounced sexual dimorphism.

External ear of male and female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were extracted with hexane and separated by class on thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Separated lipid classes were eluted and saponified, and non-saponifiable lipids further characterized by TLC, gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), UV and IR spectroscopy and functional group analyses. Many sex differences were observed, most notably the presence of sex-specific sterols of males and females. Mature animals were found to have greater quantities of ear sebum, but the characteristic qualitative lipid profiles of each sex were apparent in immature animals.