Studies using laboratory rats have yielded compelling evidence that engaging in social play with peers during the juvenile period is important for the development of
Social play – that is, play directed toward others – is a readily recognizable feature of childhood. In nonhuman animals, social play, especially seemingly competitive
Enucleated juvenile rats were compared to sighted juveniles, and tested over six trials. In some of these trials, the vibrissae were clipped and the test
Play signals are viewed as important means by which animals inform each other that bites, strikes, and throws that occur during play fighting are indeed
Neonatal male rats were either injected subcutaneously with testosterone propionate (TP) or oil vehicle. When weaned, each treated pup was paired with an untreated male
Comparisons of tactics of fighting between species are often difficult to make since the body targets attacked may differ. Thus it becomes difficult to assess
From weaning until sexual maturity, the rates at which young male rats hold each other supine during play fighting appear to become progressively asymmetrical. These
play fighting in rats is most frequent in the juvenile phase (30-40 days), and then wanes following puberty. During the juvenile phase, the most commonly
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
When rats engage in playful interactions, they emit appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). We investigated the role of 50-kHz USVs in the playful behavior of
Summary Social grooming and rough-and-tumble play, along with caressing and hand-shaking, have something important in common, touching. Physical contact with another can be an essential
This chapter examines play and fighting behavior in rats. It begins with a discussion of serious fighting of adults, which is then contrasted with the
In this article, we show that feline predation involves a continuous gradient of activation between defense and attack and that predatory “play ” results from
Studies on laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) have revealed that experience with social play in the juvenile period is important for the development of improved social
In rats (Rattus norvegicus), juvenile males engage in more play fighting (a male-typical behavior) than do juvenile females, and this difference is based on perinatal
The play fighting of many mammals involves the nonserious use of behavior patterns derived from serious fighting. A major question of theoretical importance has been
Play is a distinctive behavior of young mammals, especially mammals with a well-developed forebrain. For this reason it is thought that there may be a
Voric runs up to Victor from behind. As he runs past him, he grabs Victor by the tuft of hair on the crown of his
play fighting in many species contains behavioral elements of direct aggression; that is, those behavior patterns that are used to threaten and contact opponents. Although
play fighting is a common form of play reported among species of mammals, birds, and some other taxa. The competition present in play fighting revolves
