The social life of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The Norway rat has important impacts on our life. They are amongst the most used research subjects, resulting in ground-breaking advances. At the same time, wild rats live in close association with us, leading to various adverse interactions. In face of this relevance, it is surprising how little is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published ineLife Vol. 9
Main Author Schweinfurth, Manon K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England eLife Science Publications, Ltd 09.04.2020
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Subjects
Agonistic Behavior
Animal cognition
Animal Communication
Animal social behavior
Animals
Behavior
Behavior, Animal
behaviour
Cognition
Cognition - physiology
Control
Domestication
Ecology
Emotions
Environmental aspects
Female
Females
Food
Grooming
Human-animal relationships
Integration
Laboratories
Male
Medieval period
model organism
Neuroscience
Norway rat
Play and Playthings
Rats - psychology
Rattus norvegicus
Review
Rodents
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Social Behavior
Social interactions
Social structure
sociality
welfare
Zoological research
United States
Norway
ecology
rattus norvegicus
cognition
model organism
neuroscience
behaviour
welfare
sociality
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Summary:The Norway rat has important impacts on our life. They are amongst the most used research subjects, resulting in ground-breaking advances. At the same time, wild rats live in close association with us, leading to various adverse interactions. In face of this relevance, it is surprising how little is known about their natural behaviour. While recent laboratory studies revealed their complex social skills, little is known about their social behaviour in the wild. An integration of these different scientific approaches is crucial to understand their social life, which will enable us to design more valid research paradigms, develop more effective management strategies, and to provide better welfare standards. Hence, I first summarise the literature on their natural social behaviour. Second, I provide an overview of recent developments concerning their social cognition. Third, I illustrate why an integration of these areas would be beneficial to optimise our interactions with them.
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ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.54020