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Offensive and defensive bite‐target topographies in attacks by lactating rats
Author(s) -
Sgoifo Andrea,
Stilli Donatella,
Musso Ezio,
Mainardi Danilo,
Parmigiani Stefano
Publication year - 1992
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(1992)18:1<47::aid-ab2480180106>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - offensive , poison control , computer security , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , suicide prevention , psychology , medical emergency , anatomy , communication , medicine , engineering , computer science , operations research
The attacks by resident lactating Wistar rats on sexually naive conspecifics of both sexes were examined. Male and female intruders were equally attacked in terms of frequency and number of bites, but the topographies of biting seen in these encounters were different. Similarly to male‐male agonistic interactions, females were attacked in a fashion which avoided bites to the head and snout (“offensive” attack), whereas males were frequently bitten on such vulnerable regions (“defensive” attack). This dichotomy in bite pattern suggests that different motivations and functions underlay maternal aggression in these situations. The defensive attack on males may be a deterrent to infanticide since only male intruders counterattack lactating females and kill their pups. The attack on females may be concerned with resource competition.