This blog reports new ideas and work on mind, brain, behavior, psychology, and politics - as well as random curious stuff. (Try the Dynamic Views at top of right column.)
Monday, March 12, 2007
Alter a gene - make more fearless mice
Here is a brief clip on material I have mentioned previously...
Today my boyfriend and I were leaving the house to go shopping. There was a mouse next to the front walk, but it did not run, or show any fear. When my boyfriend nudged it with his foot, it sat on it's rears and "pawed" at him and made a little hiss, as if to say "Knock it off!" He tried to shoo it away, but the mouse was unfazed. Later that night, our cat was in the sun room, and something piqued her interest outside. There on a shrub just on the other side of the window, was a mouse looking back in at us. Now, we're not sure that it was the same mouse, but this mouse was not at all fearful, but seemed to be just as interested in us as we were in it. We held the cat up to the window. Nothing. We shined a flashlight on it. Nothing. No Fear. Is this behavior a symptom of an infected rodent? Are they simply becoming unafraid? We were astonished, yet really don't care to share our home with them. Any Comments, ideas?
I'm totally not an expert on this. Sometimes rabies or other viral infections will make rodents more aggressive. In fact, Sapolsky gives and example of this sort of infection: http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2011/09/talk-about-nasty-trickplus-beta-males.html
Today my boyfriend and I were leaving the house to go shopping. There was a mouse next to the front walk, but it did not run, or show any fear. When my boyfriend nudged it with his foot, it sat on it's rears and "pawed" at him and made a little hiss, as if to say "Knock it off!" He tried to shoo it away, but the mouse was unfazed. Later that night, our cat was in the sun room, and something piqued her interest outside. There on a shrub just on the other side of the window, was a mouse looking back in at us. Now, we're not sure that it was the same mouse, but this mouse was not at all fearful, but seemed to be just as interested in us as we were in it. We held the cat up to the window. Nothing. We shined a flashlight on it. Nothing. No Fear. Is this behavior a symptom of an infected rodent? Are they simply becoming unafraid? We were astonished, yet really don't care to share our home with them. Any Comments, ideas?
ReplyDeleteI'm totally not an expert on this. Sometimes rabies or other viral infections will make rodents more aggressive. In fact, Sapolsky gives and example of this sort of infection:
ReplyDeletehttp://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2011/09/talk-about-nasty-trickplus-beta-males.html