Study of the social hierarchy and territoriality of Calomys callosus Rengger, 1830 (Rodentia: Cricetidae).
The genus Calomys comprises a lot of species distributed throughout South America. The species C. callosus Rengger, 1830 occur in Brazil, been often used in laboratory experiments. This work involved a study of aggressive behavior and dominance, which are aspects related to hierarchy and territoriality, among C. callosus males kept in a laboratory. The establishment of a hierarchy was observed, with the dominant animals controlling the space, food and water, while the remaining animals were confined to a restricted space. The intensity of aggression and variations in the number of attacks declined over time as a result of the formation of the hierarchy. No wounds were observed, probably due to the ritualistic nature of the attacks.
Póvoa
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CP
Instituto de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG 38400-902, Brazil.
Brandeburgo
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MA
D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D008297:Male; D012930:Social Dominance; D013731:Territoriality