Abstract
MOST mammalia have a secondary sex ratio near 100 : 100 with a slight excess for the male sex. As male- and female-determining spermatozoa are being produced in equal numbers, the primary sex ratio would also be 100 : 100, provided that the two kinds of sperms are equally able to fertilize. However, a higher mortality-rate in male than in female embryos has been observed in stages in which the sex may be anatomically recognized1, and is also generally supposed to operate in preceding stages. Based upon this a primary sex-ratio of 150 : 100 has been calculated1 which must imply a higher frequency of successful fertilizations performed by male- rather than by female-determining spermatozoa.
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LINDAHL, P., SUNDELL, G. Sex Ratio in the Golden Hamster before Uterine Implantation. Nature 182, 1392 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1038/1821392a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1821392a0
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