The Dancing Mouse: A Study in Animal Behavior — John Shaqi
The Dancing Mouse: A Study in Animal BehaviorYerkes, Robert Mearns
Science
The Dancing Mouse: A Study in Animal Behavior
Yerkes, Robert Mearns
Animal behavior; Dancing mice
The fact, emphasized by Cyon, that the mice respond to tones of about the
pitch of their own voice is of peculiar interest in its relation to the
additional statements made by the same author to the effect that the
female dancer is more sensitive to sounds than the male, and that the
males either do not possess a voice or are much less sensitive to
disagreeable stimuli than the females. In the case of the dancers which he
first studied (9 p. 218), Cyon observed that certain strong stimuli evoked
pain cries; but later in his investigation he noticed that four
individuals, all of which were males, never responded thus to disagreeable
stimulation (11 p.431). He asks, therefore, does this mean that the males
lack a voice or that they are less sensitive than the females? The fact
that he did not succeed in getting a definite answer to this simple
question is indicative of the character of Cyon's work. My dancers have
provided me with ample evidence concerning the matter. Both the males and
the females, among the dancers which I have studied, possess a voice.
The females, especially during periods of sexual excitement, are much more
likely to squeak than the males. At such times they give their shrill cry
whenever they are touched by another mouse or by the human hand. A slight
pinching of the tail will frequently cause the female to squeak, but the
male seldom responds to the same stimulus by crying out. The most
satisfactory way to demonstrate the existence of a voice in the male is to
subject him to the stimulating effect of an induced current, so weak that
it is barely appreciable to the human hand. To this unexpected stimulus
even the male usually responds by a sudden squeak. There can be no doubt,
then, of the possession of a voice by both males and females. The males
may be either less sensitive or less given to vocal expression, but they
are quite able to squeak when favorable conditions are presented. The
possession of a voice by an animal is presumptive evidence in favor of a
sense of hearing, but it would scarcely be safe to say that the mice must
be able to hear their own voices. Cyon, however, thinks that some dancers
can. What further evidence is to be had?
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