Agonistic Behavior of Mice and Rats: A Review

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Abstract
This paper reviews the results of research on the agonistic behavior of wild and tame strains of house mice (Mus musculus) and the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) and covers papers that have appeared since an earlier review (Scott and Fredericson, 1951) Various methods for observing, measuring, and eliciting fighting are described and their appropriate uses discussed. Measures of latency and frequency are more satisfactory than arbitrary rating scales. Situations involving competition over food present complex motivational problems. The basic agonistic behavior patterns (ethograms) of rats and mice are compared. Differences appear in the lack of playful fighting and weaning threats in mice, the dual “boxing” posture of rats, and the unique “tail rattling” in mice. Both species are alike in their inability to form complex dominance hierarchies in which fighting is reduced to threat and avoidance. As a general theory, each species has evolved behavior patterns and physiological mechanisms of behavior which are adaptively related to its own social organization and population dynamics. Mice and rats have evolved along different lines both from each other and other species of mammals.