When confronted aggressively, male mice often rush toward female mice, employing a “bait-and-switch” strategy to divert the attention of the aggressive males.
Joshua Neunuebel’s research team at the University of Delaware used machine learning to study how mice react to aggression from other mice. Their research, published today (October 15th) in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, reveals that male mice often deescalate aggressive encounters by approaching a female mouse, diverting the male aggressor’s attention.
During the study, the team observed groups of two male and two female mice over a five-hour period. Similar to other animals, mice establish social hierarchies. The researchers noted that in almost every group recorded, one male mouse displayed significantly more aggression toward the other.
Utilizing Machine Learning in Behavioral Analysis
Social interactions can be challenging to study objectively, so the researchers used a machine learning approach to analyze aggressive interactions and how the mice respond. In total, they observed over 3,000 altercations between the male mice, and the machine learning algorithm helped researchers determine the most likely responses to aggression and whether these actions resolved or furthered the conflict.
Deescalation Tactics Among Mice
The researchers found that the male mouse who was aggressively encountered often ran over to one of the female mice and that this deescalated the aggression. This may be a “bait-and-switch” tactic, as the aggressive male mouse typically followed the other male but then interacted with the female mouse instead of continuing the aggressive encounter.
Some other tactics, even if they avoided aggression for a moment, would then escalate to full fights. However, the researchers found this was not the case after the bait-and-switch. After this tactic was used, fights rarely occurred, the male mice often remaining farther apart from each other with the aggressive mouse continuing to interact with the female mouse.
Long-Term Effects and Study Implications
While the bait-and-switch may be an effective way to deescalate conflicts, there may be costs to the victim, such as sacrificing time with the female mice, and further research may look into whether these tactics are effective in larger groups of mice. This study also demonstrates how machine learning tools can useful for understanding animal behavior, and similar tools could be used to study how the many other species with social hierarchies handle aggression.
The authors add, “Using artificial intelligence, we found that male mice turn to nearby females to distract aggressors and de-escalate conflicts. After an aggressive encounter, the aggressed male briefly engages with a female before quickly escaping, as the aggressor’s focus shifts to her.”
Reference: “Mice employ a bait-and-switch escape mechanism to de-escalate social conflict” by Rachel S. Clein, Megan R. Warren and Joshua P. Neunuebel, 15 October 2024, PLOS Biology.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002496
Funding: This research was funded by National Institutes of Mental Health (R01MH122752 to JPN), National Institutes of Health (P20GM103653), the University of Delaware Research Foundation (awarded to JPN), and Delaware’s General University Research Program (awarded to JPN). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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2 Comments
Maybe the tactic was, “Mommy, save me!”
They don’t care about mouse behavior. This article is about using AI to interpret behavior. What’s funny is that the behavior they needed the AI to discover was obvious to see. “Using artificial intelligence, we found that male mice turn to nearby females to distract aggressors and de-escalate conflicts.” Did they really need AI for this simple, easy to see observation?
Of course, they are setting up mouse fight clubs, so these aren’t the most sensitive people to mouse behavior.