Thursday, 2 April 2015

Rodent Seranade


'News' from the USA that male mice will court females (especially when out of visual contact- these are not very visual animals being keener on smell) using high-frequency ultrasound  (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/01/squeaky-serenade-male-mice-woo-females-with-song-scientists-discover). This is not especially remarkable as mice use ultrasound in both intermale conflict and, in the case of the pups, to encourage retrieval by their mothers when they stray from the nest. The use of courtship ultrasound is also well documented in laboratory rats. Although they are a separate species, they share many aspects of life-style!
-

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Flowers of Oahu 64. Wikstoemia uva-ursi or Akia

The bark, roots and leaves of this plant release a narcotic that was used to stun fish.

  • Stepping On the Gas?
      It should hardly be called a study. A  Which comparison looked at levels of nitrogen dioxide and small particulates (PM 2.5s) in 5  Londo...
  • Gridlock in European Cities
      Europe has a city congestion problem. In 2023, London was the most gridlocked location, closely followed by Paris and Dublin. In that year...
  • Charging Electric Vehicles (For Road Use)
    It's necessary, where possible, to replace diesel and petrol-fueled vehicles by electrical equivalents. Electric vehicles (EVs) don...