Social recognition and short-term memory in two taxa of striped mouse with differing social systems.

ABSTRACT: The ability to distinguish between familiar and strange conspecifics is important in group-living animals and influences the types of interactions between conspecifics. Social systems differ in sister taxa of the striped mouse genus Rhabdomys originating from different environments. Xeric-adapted R. pumilio displays facultative group-living whereas the mesic-adapted R. d. chakae is solitary. We assessed social recognition and attraction to strangers in females of two populations each of R. pumilio and R. d. chakae by means of a social discrimination task. We used a three-chamber apparatus developed in an established protocol and measured the latency of test females to approach and the duration of their investigation of stimulus females. Differences in social recognition of and preference f

SUBMITTER: Neves CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9311412 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature