Defensive Behaviors

Mouse Ethogram > Active Behaviors > General Activity > Agonistic Interactions > Defensive Behaviors

Overview and Meaning

In response to a threat, defensive behaviors function to withstand or deter aggression.

Behaviors

The typical defensive behavior is Crouch.

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

A variant of Crouch is Elevated Crouch.

Defensive behaviors are part of

Agonistic Interactions

The full behavior chain consists of:

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.