12/17/2023 0 Comments Mouse utopia experiment tldrAlthough their appearance may not have been as pristine as the passive males, with occasional signs of physical wear from their active engagement, their social orientation remained intact." These males rarely experienced attacks or resistance from other males due to their vigorous and dominant nature. They actively pursued females during their estrus, often initiating advances towards them. These highly active males sought dominance and engaged in frequent bouts of play and aggression with other usually male rats. Their relentless energy seemed boundless as they engaged in various activities. They exhibited a frenzied and hyperactive behavior within the community. The other category of males were a the opposite end of the spectrum from the passive males. However, they were essentially walking in a coma-like state. Superficially, these passive animals would appear to be the healthiest and most appealing members of the community, boasting plumpness and a sleek coat devoid of the typical marks and bald patches caused by male combat. Rarely did other males engage in aggression or attempt to interact with them. Even during the females' estrus period, these passive individuals made no attempts to approach them. They paid no attention to other rats, irrespective of gender, and likewise went unnoticed by their peers. The first group exhibited absolute passivity and moved through the community like sleepwalkers. However, they differed greatly in terms of their activity levels. Two distinct types of males emerged, each having withdrawn completely from the struggle for dominance. In the experiments in which the behavioural sink developed, infant mortality ran as high as 96 percent among the most disoriented groups in the population. Individual rats seldom ate alone, leading to a proliferation of population density within the pen designated for feeding, while the others remained sparsely populated. During feeding periods, up to 60 out of 80 rats in each experimental population would gather in a single pen. The root cause of these disturbances became strikingly evident in the initial series of three experiments, wherein we observed the emergence of what was termed a 'behavioural sink.' The rats would congregate in large numbers within one of the four interconnected pens that housed the colony. The disruption extended to the social organization of the animals. These individuals would only emerge to eat, drink, and move about when the rest of the community was asleep. Among the male rats, their behavioural disruptions encompassed sexual deviation, cannibalism, frenetic overactivity, and a pathological withdrawal. A significant number of those who successfully gave birth refuted their young’s needs. Numerous female rats experienced difficulties in carrying pregnancies to full term or surviving the delivery of their litters. At first, the mive lived out peaceful days, but after months of confined space and a rising population, this began to change.
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