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The introduction of a group of alien mice (Mus musculus L.) into hierarchically organized groups of five male mice
Author(s) -
Poole T. B.,
Morgan H. D. R.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
aggressive behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.223
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1098-2337
pISSN - 0096-140X
DOI - 10.1002/1098-2337(1976)2:3<183::aid-ab2480020303>3.0.co;2-9
Subject(s) - aggression , alien , house mice , biology , demography , zoology , period (music) , andrology , physiology , psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , sociology , art , population , census , aesthetics
Groups of 3 male or female Mus musculus were introduced into hierarchically organized colonies of 5 male mice for a period of 8 days. The colonies were of 2 kinds; high‐level aggressive (HLA), which had been set up 3 days prior to the introduction of the aliens, and low‐level aggressive (LLA), which had been established for 21 days before strangers were introduced. Both males and anestrous females were attacked, but males were attacked 5 times more frequently than females. In HLA colonies most of the attacks on the aliens were by the dominant; in LLA colonies there was no difference in the behavior of dominant and subordinate mice toward strangers. Both aggression toward aliens and intracolony aggression declined over the 8 day experimental period. In HLA colonies the dominant mouse mounted females 5 times more frequently than did either his subordinates or male mice in the LLA colonies. In HLA colonies aliens huddled with subordinates to form a single colony with 1 dominant and 7 subordinates. In LLA colonies alien males remained as a discrete group spatially separated in the cage. Female aliens were incorporated into the main colony. In all cases dominant male mice made more attacks on aliens as compared with familiar mice.