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  • Title: Play-fighting in the Syrian golden hamster Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse, and its relationship to serious fighting during postweaning development.
    Author: Pellis SM, Pellis VC.
    Journal: Dev Psychobiol; 1988 May; 21(4):323-37. PubMed ID: 3378678.
    Abstract:
    In the Syrian golden hamster Mesocricetus auratus, play-fighting precedes serious fighting during postweaning development, and so may be thought to be a developmental precursor to adult aggression. However, based on both the targets attacked--that is, the cheek pouches during play-fighting and the rump or flanks during serious fighting, and the behavior patterns employed to attack and defend these targets--these two forms of fighting are shown to remain distinct from each other throughout development, even during the ages where they overlap. The decline of play in post-sexually-mature animals is shown to result from an increasing intolerance to contact between animals, and hence greater difficulty in the maintenance of a "playful mood." Therefore, these data show that play-fighting does not grade into serious fighting, and thus does not serve as a developmental precursor to adult aggression.
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