Mar. 7,
2013 — Sniffing, a common behavior in dogs, cats and other animals, has
been observed to also serve as a method for rats to communicate -- a
fundamental discovery that may help scientists identify brain regions critical
for interpreting communications cues and what brain malfunctions may cause some
complex social disorders.
Researchers
have long observed how animals vigorously sniff when they interact, a habit
usually passed off as simply smelling each other. But Daniel W. Wesson, PhD, of
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, whose research is published
today in Current Biology, found that rats sniff each other to signal a
social hierarchy and prevent aggressive behavior.
Wesson, who
drew upon previous work showing that, similar to humans, rodents naturally form
complex social hierarchies, used wireless methods to record and observe rats as
they interacted. He found that, when two rats approach each other, one
communicates dominance by sniffing more frequently, while the subordinate
signals its role by sniffing less. Wesson found that if the subordinate didn't
do so, the dominant rat was more likely to become aggressive to the other.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!