play fighting in the Syrian golden hamster Mesocricetus auratus waterhouse, and its relationship to serious fighting during postweaning development

In the Syrian golden hamster Mesocricetus auratus, play fighting preceds serious fighting during postweaning development, and so may be thought to be a developmental precursor to adull aggression. However, based on both the targets attackedóthat is, the cheek pouches during play fighting and the rump or flanks during serious fighting, and the behavior patterns employed to attakc and defend these targetsóthese two forms of fighting are shown to remain distinct from each other throughout development, even during the ages where they overlap. The decline of play in post?sexually?mature animals is shown to result from an increasing intolerance to contact between animals, and hence greater difficulty in the maintenance of a “playful mood. ” Therefore, these data show that play fighting does not grade into serious fighting, and thus does not serve as a developmental precursor to adult aggression. Copyright © 1988 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.