Mouse-killing in Sprague-Dawley rats: effects of lighting conditions.
Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were studied in artificial daylight and in red light for mouse-killing. Fifty percent of the rats killed mice. Killing varied, however, considerably: only seldom did it occur on consecutive days. More killing occurred during tests in red light than in artificial daylight. In red light, the mean latency between confrontation of the rat with the mouse and the killing was gradually shortened but not in daylight.
D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008029:Lighting; D008297:Male; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000502:physiology*