#AnimalHierarchy

[dropsofsciencenews]

Mice and Social Strategies: How a Female Can Save Your Skin

ITA version ESP version

When animals move through their environment, they never do so casually or disinterestedly. They constantly evaluate risks, carefully observe what's happening around them, use sensory cues, and acquire new information to adopt appropriate behaviors. After all, danger is always lurking, and knowing what to do is crucial for survival. Rodents, for example, adopt defensive postures when they perceive threats like predator odors or suspicious shadows.

Even within social groups, animals develop cognitive mechanisms to respond to social stimuli and environmental changes. In communities with well-defined hierarchies, they must constantly observe others' behaviors to understand if a conflict is about to erupt or if the group is at peace. When a threat arises, fleeing is a classic and effective response. But running away isn't always the best choice, as it means losing resources and mating opportunities. So how can conflicts within a group be reduced? For the small mice of the species Mus musculus, the answer is ingenious: use females as a distraction.

A group of researchers recorded interactions in groups composed of two males and two females over five hours. They used artificial intelligence to objectively code how mice manage aggressive behaviors from their peers. Being hierarchical animals, there's always one male more aggressive than the others. The researchers recorded 3,000 encounters between males, determining the most probable responses to aggression and whether these actions resolved or worsened the conflict.

Among these encounters, the researchers observed a very consistent behavior: the attacked male often ran toward one of the females, successfully de-escalating the aggression. After an aggressive confrontation, the victim male would briefly interact with a female before quickly moving away, as the aggressor's attention shifted to her. This behavioral sequence was the only one that didn't lead to further violent clashes. Essentially, the attacked male distracted the aggressor with the presence of the female, avoiding further conflicts without having to flee far. Ingenious, isn't it?

Despite these results, the study has some limitations. It was conducted in a controlled environment with small groups balanced by sex, which may not accurately represent natural conditions. Additionally, the lack of a well-defined social hierarchy among the observed mice could have influenced the recorded behaviors. Future research should vary the number and composition of animals to better understand how this strategy applies in more natural contexts. But one thing is clear: sometimes, relying on a female is enough to get out of a tough situation.

See you soon and Good Science!

source

source picture: George Shuklin (talk) - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5521043

[laycielovehawaii]

Taking the shark education seriously; show the shark who is boss! 💪🏼😉🦈 Epic capture by @sunblastbecky on our dive with the ancestors yesterday! Loved the education & eco-awareness theme with @oneoceandiving in order to better understand sharks & their role in our oceans. Birthday week is over, but you know the adventures will continue.... #ShowThemWhosBoss #RespecttheAina #MahaloAumakua #AnimalHierarchy #SavetheSharks #OneOceanDiving #OceanAwareness #EducateYourself ~~~~~~~Mahalo for the Love!~~~~~~ ~~~~~~💗❤️🧡💛💚💙💜~~~~~~~ #CultivateAloha #HawaiiUnfiltered #TheRealHawaii #MalamaPono #AlwaysAStudent #RespecttheAina #HonorThyAncestors #LivePono #KnowledgeisPower #Wisdom #LoveConquersAll #AlohaLifestyle #AlwaysAStudent #VentureHawaii #WorldWideWomen #LuckyWeLiveHawaii #Empowerment (at OneOcean Diving)

[ladyorlandodream]

The answer is always female 😅😅

Mice and Social Strategies: How a Female Can Save Your Skin

ITA version ESP version

When animals move through their environment, they never do so casually or disinterestedly. They constantly evaluate risks, carefully observe what's happening around them, use sensory cues, and acquire new information to adopt appropriate behaviors. After all, danger is always lurking, and knowing what to do is crucial for survival. Rodents, for example, adopt defensive postures when they perceive threats like predator odors or suspicious shadows.

Even within social groups, animals develop cognitive mechanisms to respond to social stimuli and environmental changes. In communities with well-defined hierarchies, they must constantly observe others' behaviors to understand if a conflict is about to erupt or if the group is at peace. When a threat arises, fleeing is a classic and effective response. But running away isn't always the best choice, as it means losing resources and mating opportunities. So how can conflicts within a group be reduced? For the small mice of the species Mus musculus, the answer is ingenious: use females as a distraction.

A group of researchers recorded interactions in groups composed of two males and two females over five hours. They used artificial intelligence to objectively code how mice manage aggressive behaviors from their peers. Being hierarchical animals, there's always one male more aggressive than the others. The researchers recorded 3,000 encounters between males, determining the most probable responses to aggression and whether these actions resolved or worsened the conflict.

Among these encounters, the researchers observed a very consistent behavior: the attacked male often ran toward one of the females, successfully de-escalating the aggression. After an aggressive confrontation, the victim male would briefly interact with a female before quickly moving away, as the aggressor's attention shifted to her. This behavioral sequence was the only one that didn't lead to further violent clashes. Essentially, the attacked male distracted the aggressor with the presence of the female, avoiding further conflicts without having to flee far. Ingenious, isn't it?

Despite these results, the study has some limitations. It was conducted in a controlled environment with small groups balanced by sex, which may not accurately represent natural conditions. Additionally, the lack of a well-defined social hierarchy among the observed mice could have influenced the recorded behaviors. Future research should vary the number and composition of animals to better understand how this strategy applies in more natural contexts. But one thing is clear: sometimes, relying on a female is enough to get out of a tough situation.

See you soon and Good Science!

source

source picture: George Shuklin (talk) - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5521043