Fighting

Overview and Meaning

Fighting is one of the aggressive behaviors which typify escalated aggression. Fighting concludes the aggressive interaction with either submission or the death of an animal.

Description

Both animals are locked together engaging in violent behaviors such as kicking, biting, and wrestling. Separate behaviors are difficult to distinguish properly due to the animals quickly rolling over.

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

Fighting 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