title: Differences in individual rat preference for light levels.
abstract: Behavioral observations assessing the position of individual animals in relation to a light gradient have shown that rats have strong preference for environmental locations with reduced luminosity. Albino rats have a significantly greater darkness preference than a strain of hooded rats although no intersexual differences were detected. Individual animals show marked and stable differences in their darkness preference. These tendencies are already present in weanling rats and are maintained throughout development.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidek
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Schmidek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003624:Darkness; D005260:Female; D007206:Individuality; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity