http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/sci_nat_enl_1194606070/html/1.stm
Do you get the feeling it might have been a bit short sighted a well?
Do you get the feeling it might have been a bit short sighted a well?
Mouse does not smell cat
- Thread starter dizietsma
- Start date
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
Your subject isn't quite right. The mouse smells the cat, but the instictive urge to run away has been disconnected. The mouse doesn't have the fear centre in it's brain automatically turned on by the smell of the cat.
The funniest thing in the original report is that "the cat has to be well fed" before they put it in with the mouse to see if the mouse gets scared.
Those wacky Japanese scientists. It's will be giant lizards and transforming robots next...
The funniest thing in the original report is that "the cat has to be well fed" before they put it in with the mouse to see if the mouse gets scared.
Those wacky Japanese scientists. It's will be giant lizards and transforming robots next...
Does the fear centre not get turned on by seeing that huge mouth with big teeth?
On a similar topic how do all the birds in my garden know to fly away from a cat and are happy when the squirrel is munching away on their peanuts. I know it is easy for me to work out with my brain the size of small planet*, but brid brains are, well, bird brains I thought. It cannot be nature as the squirrels have not been around long enough, so is it nurture?
* Pluto has nothing to fear though.
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
Does the fear centre not get turned on by seeing that huge mouth with big teeth?
On a similar topic how do all the birds in my garden know to fly away from a cat and are happy when the squirrel is munching away on their peanuts. I know it is easy for me to work out with my brain the size of small planet*, but brid brains are, well, bird brains I thought. It cannot be nature as the squirrels have not been around long enough, so is it nurture?
Small birds will instictively fly away from anything that comes towards them. You, cat, bird of prey, etc. You would have to train them for a long time or for them to be larger and/or defending nests to not automatically run away.
I've had many pets over the years (dogs, cats, hamsters, lab rats and guinea-pigs) and I had them interact/play. Note: I always cared for them and never did anything wrong because I love pets.
One thing I noticed about hamsters and rats is that they tend not to run away like crazy when confronted with a dog or cat. The more they try to run away like crazy, the more the dog/cat instincts will be activated and try to chase them. So they try to be as discrete as possible. My 2 cents.
One thing I noticed about hamsters and rats is that they tend not to run away like crazy when confronted with a dog or cat. The more they try to run away like crazy, the more the dog/cat instincts will be activated and try to chase them. So they try to be as discrete as possible. My 2 cents.
