Abstract
Four experiments investigated the stimulus properties of female mice that influence ultrasound production by adult males. Female urine alone was less effective in evoking ultrasounds than was the female in male-female pairs. Visual cues were not necessary, since there was no difference in the incidence or latency of ultrasounds from male-female pairs when tested in light and dark conditions. A presently unspecified chemical cue produced by females, whose effectiveness is mediated by olfaction, was sufficient to evoke ultrasounds from male mice. The role of this chemical cue in a multimodal sequential communicative chain is discussed.
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This research was supported by Grants MH-24348 and MH-11218 from the United States Public Health Service and by Grant GU-2612 from the National Science Foundation.
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Whitney, G., Alpern, M., Dizinno, G. et al. Female odors evoke ultrasounds from male mice. Animal Learning & Behavior 2, 13–18 (1974). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199109
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199109