page_title: Musth
hierarchical_section_title: Musth
caption_attribution_description: English: Indian elephant in musth
context_page_description: Musth or must is a periodic condition in bull elephants characterized by highly aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones.
  Testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be on average 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times. However, whether this hormonal surge is the sole cause of musth, or merely a contributing factor, is unknown.
  Scientific investigation of musth is problematic because even the most placid elephants become highly violent toward humans and other elephants during musth.
context_section_description: Musth or must (/ˈmʌst/; Urdu: مست‎, from Persian, lit. 'drunk') is a periodic condition in bull (male) elephants characterized by highly aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones.
  Testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be on average 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times (in specific individuals these testosterone levels can even reach as much as 140 times the normal). However, whether this hormonal surge is the sole cause of musth, or merely a contributing factor, is unknown. 
  Scientific investigation of musth is problematic because even the most placid elephants become highly violent toward humans and other elephants during musth.
caption: A wild Indian elephant in musth
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