#MusMusculus

[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

[spankystokes]

Kyle Kirwan presents: "Glorg the Gloom" custom micro-run by Mus Musculus! http://dlvr.it/Sbr57b

[troymckin]

Mouse Fur Popular prints, shirts, & stickers available on my Etsy. Línk in bio #mouse #woodmouse #fieldmouse #housemouse #mice #wildanimals #musmusculus #mouseofinstagram #petmouse #nature #animals #mus #instamice #smallmammals #smallmammal #mammal #mammals #mammalphotos #mammalphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotos (at Cal Poly Humboldt) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcLZv0kpqzf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[susieq4522020]

This tiny little mouse caught my attention this afternoon when outside giving Cal a treat! I’ve never seen such a tiny mouse! Grabbed the camera and clicked! #ilovethosemeecestopieces #miniscule #mouse #babymouse #sweetlittlething #tinydancer #musmusculus #pleasedtomeetyou #rodent #canoneos700d #decembre #summer #été https://www.instagram.com/p/CW7s4FfvdEt/?utm_medium=tumblr

[nunoxaviermoreira]

Common House Mouse - Mus musculus by Roger Wasley Is this House Mouse praying that the cat doesn't return home early…? https://flic.kr/p/2hGQ399

[sparky6230]

He lives!!!!!! This was a mouse that escaped from our immunology lab and was recaptured and will now be our pet. His name is Tiberius and he is awesome! #mouse #labrat #labmouse #pet #Musmusculus #musmusculusdomesticus #immunology

[minister-erik]

TRIBUTE (look what the cat dragged in) - Composition Friday #PhotoOfTheDay #HouseMouse #mouse #MusMusculus #rodentia #corpse #TinyNature #NYwildlife #nature #AnimalEncounter #wildlife #AnimalPhotography #InMyBackyard #deadmau5 #deadmouse #Tappan #NewYork #Photography #NikonPhotography #ShotOnNikon #ErikMcGregor

© Erik McGregor - erikrivas@hotmail.com - 917-225-8963

[baylaart]

Completed Mus musculus, the last common ancestor of the #domesticated house #mouse. This #rennaisance #portrait #miniature inspired piece is made with #watercolor on calfskin #vellum and mounted on a #vintage library card about #animal #domestication Housed in a brass vintage frame. . #originalartwork #myart #artstudio #mystudio #painting #illustration #sciart #illustrationwork #darkart #wildlifeart #wildlifepainting #beautifulbizarre #artinspo #createart #natureart #naturalhistoryart #watercolorartist #housemouse #biology #musmusculus (at New Haven, Connecticut) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Ra0M4pebQ/?igshid=v15fc87edqbj

[jvolkmann]

Rato pequenoooo #musmusculus (em Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil)

[dropsofsciencenews]

Ratones y estrategias sociales: cómo una hembra puede salvar tu pellejo

ITA version ENG version

Cuando los animales se mueven en su entorno, nunca lo hacen de manera casual o desinteresada. Evalúan constantemente los riesgos, observan atentamente lo que sucede a su alrededor, utilizan indicios sensoriales y adquieren nueva información para adoptar comportamientos apropiados. Después de todo, el peligro siempre acecha, y saber qué hacer es crucial para la supervivencia. Los roedores, por ejemplo, adoptan posturas defensivas cuando perciben amenazas como olores de depredadores o sombras sospechosas.

Incluso dentro de los grupos sociales, los animales desarrollan mecanismos cognitivos para responder a estímulos sociales y cambios ambientales. En comunidades con jerarquías bien definidas, deben observar constantemente los comportamientos de los demás para entender si está a punto de estallar un conflicto o si el grupo está en calma. Cuando surge una amenaza, huir es una respuesta clásica y eficaz. Pero escapar no siempre es la mejor opción, ya que implica perder recursos y oportunidades de apareamiento. Entonces, ¿cómo reducir los conflictos dentro de un grupo? Para los pequeños ratones de la especie Mus musculus, la respuesta es ingeniosa: utilizar a las hembras como distracción.

Un grupo de investigadores registró las interacciones de grupos compuestos por dos machos y dos hembras durante cinco horas. Utilizaron inteligencia artificial para codificar objetivamente cómo los ratones gestionan los comportamientos agresivos de sus congéneres. Al ser animales jerárquicos, siempre hay un macho más agresivo que los demás. Los investigadores registraron 3.000 encuentros entre machos, determinando las respuestas más probables a la agresión y si estas acciones resolvían o empeoraban el conflicto.

Entre estos encuentros, los investigadores observaron un comportamiento muy constante: el macho agredido a menudo corría hacia una de las hembras, logrando así desescalar la agresión. Después de un enfrentamiento agresivo, el macho víctima interactuaba brevemente con una hembra antes de alejarse rápidamente, ya que la atención del agresor se desplazaba hacia ella. Esta secuencia comportamental era la única que no conducía a más enfrentamientos violentos. En esencia, el macho agredido distraía al agresor con la presencia de la hembra, evitando más conflictos sin tener que huir lejos. ¡Ingenioso, verdad?

A pesar de estos resultados, el estudio presenta algunas limitaciones. Se realizó en un ambiente controlado con pequeños grupos equilibrados por sexo, que podrían no representar fielmente las condiciones naturales. Además, la ausencia de una jerarquía social bien definida entre los ratones observados podría haber influido en los comportamientos registrados. Futuras investigaciones deberían variar el número y la composición de los animales para comprender mejor cómo esta estrategia se aplica en contextos más naturales. Pero algo está claro: en algunos casos, ¡basta con confiar en una hembra para salir de una situación difícil!

¡Hasta Pronto y Buena Ciencia!

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

[spankystokes]

Something wicked, this way comes... another rad custom Stroll from @mus_musculus (follow him if you aren't doing so yet). This was created for our upcoming THE STROLL SHOW - launching on December 4th, 2020 at 7pm EST via the new @strangecattoys Gallery space, we have invited a small group of amazing artists to go to town on the new DIY vinyl Stroll platform showcasing what can be done with it! This is going to be a ton of fun, and the work done on this platform has been nothing short of fantastic! We plan on sharing each piece up until the show launch, so get ready for some serious eye-Candy! #spankystokes #spankystroll #strolldiy #diystroll #strollshow #diytoy #strangecattoys #vinyltoys #groupshow #artshow #florida #galleryshow #strangecatgallery #klav #musmusculus (at Alpine, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIBqJSuFNHF/?igshid=1kf7f3g9zdsch

[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