Sex determination in spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta ) by restriction fragment length polymorphism of amplified ZFX/ZFY loci.

We describe a quick and efficient method of determining the sex of DNA samples in the hyena. By choosing primers from sequences that are conserved between the human and bovine ZFY and ZFX genes, we amplified a 448 bp fragment from 1 male and 2 female hyenas. Using comparative sequencing, single base pair polymorphisms between the amplified ZFY and ZFX were established. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with PstI and TaqI confirmed the sequence data and yielded specific banding patterns between the 2 sexes in the hyena.