Twenty-two kHz alarm cries to presentation of a predator, by laboratory rats living in visible burrow systems
Abstract
When a cat was presented to groups of 3 male and 2 female laboratory rats in the open area of a visible burrow system, the rats retreated to the burrow system and showed high levels of 18-24 kHz ultrasonic cries during the cat presentation and for 30 min following removal of the cat. Latency to make ultrasonic vocalizations, durations of these vocalizations, and duration in the burrow systems were all strikingly and reliably different during and after cat exposure in comparison to similar periods with a control (stuffed cat toy) stimulus. However, when individual rats were exposed to a cat in an open area of similar size, ultrasonic cry production was minimal. Also rats exposed individually to a cat in an apparatus providing an escape chamber similarly showed no ultrasonic cries, indicating that concealment per se is not a sufficient condition for their appearance. These results suggest that the production of ultrasonic vocalizations during and after exposure to a predator is greatly facilitated by the presence of familiar conspecifics, and may serve as alarm cries. While the alarm cry hypothesis also suggests a possible function for 18-24 kHz ultrasounds in the context of copulation and intraspecies aggression, the sonographic and functional relationships among the cries emitted in these different situations remain to be analyzed.
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In rats, ultrasonic vocalizations at 22 kHz constitute alarm calls used in the face of threat, and they are produced only in the presence of conspecifics.
“For instance, it has been shown that in rats ultrasonic vocalizations at 22 kHz constitute the alarm calls used in the face of threat.Importantly, they are produced only in the presence of conspecifics.162,163”
From Ecological validity of social interaction tests in rats and mice (2019) · cites this paper as [162]
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- Authors
- Blanchard, R. J., Blanchard, D. C., Agullana, R., & Weiss, S. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
- Corresponding author
- Blanchard, R.J.
- ORCID
- Blanchard, D.C.
- Venue
- Physiology & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1991-11
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 967-972
- ISSN
- 0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2078474819
- Cited by
- 461
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 8.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01aa006220-06, 5r01mh042803-03)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA-06220)
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH42803)
- National Center for Research Resources (RR03061)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology › Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Marine animal studies overview
- Keywords
- alarm calls, ultrasonic vocalizations, predator detection, burrow systems, concealment, conspecifics, escape behavior, laboratory rats, acoustic communication, copulation
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cats, Escape Reaction, Fear, Female, Male, Motor Activity, Predatory Behavior, Social Environment, Sound Spectrography, Territoriality, Ultrasonics, Vocalization, Animal, Rats
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