Rats and mice together: The predatory nature of the rat's mouse-killing response.

Role of glutamate NMDA receptors and nitric oxide located within the periaqueductal gray on defensive behaviors in mice confronted by predator

“…The rat exposure test (RET) is an animal model of anxiety based on the predator-prey interaction (rat and mouse; Yang et al 2004). Rats have been shown as actual mice predators both in nature and in the laboratory (O'Boyle 1974(O'Boyle , 1975Calvo-Torrent et al 1999). When confronted by rats, both wild and laboratory mice show clear innate defensive behaviors (Blanchard et al 1998).…”

Early experience and the development of predatory and intraspecific aggression in mice

“…The cricket-killing response of mice would seem to provide a convenient model of predation. It has been suggested that predatory behaviors are functionally distinct from other behaviors typically called aggressive (e.g., intraspecific fighting, see Carthy & Ebling, 1964;Moyer, 1968;O'Boyle, 1974 that early experience will have differential effects on predatory behaviors and intraspecific fighting, On the other hand, Thomas (1969) compared the predatory and intraspecific fighting behaviors of two strains of mice (C57BLlCrgl and P/Bi/Crgl) and noted that the JS mice were more efficient predators and were more aggressive toward other mice in the group cages. The present experiments examined the effects of different early environments on the mousefighting and cricket-attacking responses of ICR mice.…”

Effects of d-amphetamine and pilocarpine on the mouse-killing response of hungry and satiated rats

“…It has been suggested in the literature that mousekilling by rats typifies predatory aggression (e.g., Moyer, 1968;O'Boyle, 1974), which implies that the variables which affect eating should similarly affect mouse-killing. However, the research evidence bearing on this issue is ambiguous.…”