Rat pups reduce ultrasonic vocalization after exposure to an adult male rat.

We examined how the experience of a threatening stimulus alters subsequent behavior in a situation where the immediate threat is absent. A small huddle of 12-day-old rats was exposed to a potentially infanticidal adult male rat for 5 min. During male exposure, pups were significantly more immobile than control pups. Thirty, 60, and 180 min after male exposure, the pups were isolated for 5 min from litter and dam in an unfamiliar environment. When isolated, pups that had been previously exposed to the male emitted significantly fewer ultrasonic vocalizations than controls, but did not differ in immobility. Low levels of vocalization were apparent 30 and 60 min after male exposure and were not evident at 180 min. The pups seemed to have adjusted their behavior to a potential male threat in a different context for a limited period of time. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 42: 386-391, 2003.