Browsing by Author "Tamarin, RH"

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    Nonparental infanticide in meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus
    (2000) Ebensperger, LA; Botto-Mahan, C; Tamarin, RH
    The infanticidal behaviour of wild-caught male and female Microtus pennsylvanicus was studied in captivity to examine the hypothesis that nonparental infanticide provides perpetrators with nutritional gains after cannibalizing their victims. Voles of different breeding condition, age, and sex were tested for their behaviour toward unfamiliar vole and house-mouse pups in a neutral arena. Infanticide on unfamiliar vole pups was relatively frequent among pregnant, less frequent among reproductively active (nonpregnant-nonlactating) and immature females, and almost absent in lactating females. Most infanticidal females, particularly non-breeding and immature females, did not cannibalize the pups. Pregnant females often attacked and cannibalized vole and house-mouse pups. A majority of breeding male voles were infanticidal when exposed to an unfamiliar pup in an unfamiliar place, and at least half of them cannibalized their victims. Taken together, these results suggest that nutritional gains are an occasional but not the main motivation of pup-killing behaviour in female meadow voles. In contrast, the attainment of nutritional benefits could be one main benefit of infanticide by male meadow voles.