Different levels of complexity in the play-fighting by muroid rodents appear to result from different levels of intensity of attack and defense.
Abstract
Play‐fighting in deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii, prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster, and montane voles, M. Montanus, was compared to that of laboratory rats, Rattus norvegicus. Play in rats appears more complex for two reasons: 1) more of the playful contacts elicit defensive behaviors, and 2) more of these defenses lead to counterattacks, and hence, role reversals between attackers and defenders. Neither high levels of defense, as shown by montane voles, nor high levels of counterattack, as shown by prairie voles, produce rat‐like play‐fighting. This only occurs when high rates of defense involving turning to face the attacker and counterattack are combined, as in rats. These two components are rarely combined together by deer mice, and so this species rarely exhibits rat‐like play‐fighting. Furthermore, playful counterattack appears to arise from playful attack, and not from an escalation of defense. These data suggest that the more complex forms of social play, such as play‐fighting, have evolved, in part, via the escalation of defense in response to playful attack.
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The "turn and face" play behavior characteristic of LE rats may provide an opportunity to quantify more nuanced social interactions.
“though the “turn and face” play behavior characteristic of LE rats may provide an opportunity to quantify more nuanced social interactions [26–33].”
From Behavioral Phenotyping of Juvenile Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley Rats: Implications for Preclinical Models of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2016) · cites this paper as [26]
As compared to mice, rats exhibit more complex patterns of play fighting characterized by reciprocal bouts of attack, defense and counter attacks.
“As compared to mice, rats exhibit more complex patterns of play fighting characterized by reciprocal bouts of attack, defense and counter attacks [26].”
From Behavioral Phenotyping of Juvenile Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley Rats: Implications for Preclinical Models of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2016) · cites this paper as [26]
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Developmental analyses of social play behavior in juvenile rats
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Whishaw, I. Q., Metz, G. A. S., Kolb, B., & Pellis, S. M. (2001) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.1041 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Self-citationHimmler, B. T., Stryjek, R., Modlinska, K., Derksen, S. M., Pisula, W., & Pellis, S. M. (2013) · Journal of Comparative Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0032187 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Self-citationPeering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats
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Self-citationPlay fighting and the development of the social brain: The rat’s tale
Pellis, S. M., Pellis, V. C., Ham, J. R., & Stark, R. A. (2023) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105037 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
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Field, E. F., Whishaw, I. Q., Pellis, S. M., & Watson, N. V. (2006) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.20121 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
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Self-citationPinning in the Play Fighting of Rats: A Comparative Perspective With Methodological Recommendations
Himmler, S. M., Himmler, B. T., Stryjek, R., Modlińska, K., Pisula, W., & Pellis, S. M. (2016) · International Journal of Comparative Psychology · doi:10.46867/ijcp.2016.29.00.06 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationBombail, V., Brown, S. M., Beyts, C., Martin, J. E., Li, T., Meddle, S. L., Mendl, M., Robinson, E. S., Hammond, T. J., Nielsen, B. L., et al. (2025) · F1000Research · doi:10.12688/f1000research.166417.2 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Pellis, S. M., Pellis, V. C., & Dewsbury, D. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Florida (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pellis, Sergio M.
- Venue
- Aggressive Behavior
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1989-01
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 297-310
- ISSN
- 0096-140X (ISSN-L)
- 1098-2337
- OpenAlex
- W2021635027
- Cited by
- 80
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2013: 6
- FWCI
- 5.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Aggressive Behavior (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Keywords
- play fighting, social play, defensive behavior, counterattack, role reversal, Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii, Microtus ochrogaster, Microtus montanus, Rattus norvegicus, muroid rodents
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