Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Attack and defensive behaviour in the albino rat.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Blanchard, RJ; Blanchard, DC; Takahashi, T; Kelley, MJ
Published in: Animal behaviour
August 1977

Attack of dominant colony males of an albino rat (Rattus norvegicus) strain, on introduced strangers, produced a non-random distribution of bites, with ventral trunk virtually never bitten. Also, vibrissae-contact of attacker and defender interfered with bites to the defender's head and upper back. The specific agonistic reactions of attacking and defending rats appeared to involve strategies based on these limitation on attack: defenders utilized 'boxing' and lying 'on-the-back' behaviour, which interposed ventral trunk and vibrissae between attacker and defender. In turn, the 'lateral display' permitted attackers to circumvent the defender's behaviour. Limitations on attack therefore appeared to underlie the specific agonistic behaviour of both attacking and defending rats.

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Animal behaviour

DOI

ISSN

0003-3472

Publication Date

August 1977

Volume

25

Issue

3

Start / End Page

622 / 634

Related Subject Headings

  • Wounds and Injuries
  • Social Environment
  • Social Dominance
  • Reaction Time
  • Rats
  • Posture
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Hierarchy, Social
  • Hair
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Blanchard, R. J., Blanchard, D. C., Takahashi, T., & Kelley, M. J. (1977). Attack and defensive behaviour in the albino rat. Animal Behaviour, 25(3), 622–634. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-3472(77)90113-0
Blanchard, R. J., D. C. Blanchard, T. Takahashi, and M. J. Kelley. “Attack and defensive behaviour in the albino rat.Animal Behaviour 25, no. 3 (August 1977): 622–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-3472(77)90113-0.
Blanchard RJ, Blanchard DC, Takahashi T, Kelley MJ. Attack and defensive behaviour in the albino rat. Animal behaviour. 1977 Aug;25(3):622–34.
Blanchard, R. J., et al. “Attack and defensive behaviour in the albino rat.Animal Behaviour, vol. 25, no. 3, Aug. 1977, pp. 622–34. Epmc, doi:10.1016/0003-3472(77)90113-0.
Blanchard RJ, Blanchard DC, Takahashi T, Kelley MJ. Attack and defensive behaviour in the albino rat. Animal behaviour. 1977 Aug;25(3):622–634.
Journal cover image

Published In

Animal behaviour

DOI

ISSN

0003-3472

Publication Date

August 1977

Volume

25

Issue

3

Start / End Page

622 / 634

Related Subject Headings

  • Wounds and Injuries
  • Social Environment
  • Social Dominance
  • Reaction Time
  • Rats
  • Posture
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Hierarchy, Social
  • Hair