Attack

Overview and Meaning

Attack is one of the aggressive behaviors which typify escalated aggression. Attack can either cause the aggressive interaction to end with submission, or to increase into fighting.

Description

The mouse rushes or leaps at a partner while biting and kicking.

Classification

Contexts

Agonistic interactions can occur in the context of territorial behavior and/or dominance behavior. Territorial behavior and dominance behavior differ in the context that they occur, the resources under competition, and the threat behavior that initiates the interaction.

Variants

None

Attack is part of

Aggressive Behaviors

These behaviors are characteristic of escalated aggression, and consist of:

  1. Boxing
  2. Parrying
  3. Aggressive Bite
  4. Attack
  5. Fighting

Aggressive behaviors are part of

Agonistic Interactions

The full behavior chain consists of:

  1. Threat behaviors
  2. Aggressive behaviors
  3. Flight and submissive behaviors
  4. Defensive behaviors

Agonistic interactions occur to assert territory or dominance. This can proceed as either mediated aggression or escalated aggression, differentiated by the absence or presence of aggressive behaviors.

 

Stanford Department of Comparative Medicine presents

A Comprehensive Ethogram of the Laboratory Mouse