Abstract
Many naturalistic reports indicate that lactating females of many mammalian species are capable of discriminating between their own offspring and other young of the same age. “Recognition behavior” of this sort has been reported to occur in the Alaskan fur seal (Bonnot, 1929; Preble, 1923), elephant seals (Hamilton, 1934), domestic sheep (Fraser, 1937; Scott, 1945), Dall sheep of Mt. McKinley (Murie, 1944), red deer of Scotland (Darling, 1937), American elk (Altmann, 1926), and mule deer (Linsdale and Tomich, 1953). The most extensive investigation of maternal behavior in the laboratory rat lead Wiesner and Sheard (1933) to conclude that similar discrimination does not occur in this species. In studies of maternal activity in the rat (Rattus norvegicus), the senior author became convinced that some female rats do react selectively to their own young. The present study was conducted to determine whether or not discrimination does occur, and to discover if possible the nature of the cues involved.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
