Unbelievable Rodent Rescue: Watch Mice Try to Revive Their Unconscious Friends!

In a surprising discovery, researchers observed mice trying to help their unconscious peers, resembling a form of animal “first aid.” The mice engaged in behaviors like pawing, biting, and even pulling their companions’ tongues. These actions suggest an instinctive drive to support those in distress.

This finding points to a broader tendency among animals to care for one another. Similar behaviors, such as grooming and nudging, have been seen in elephants, dolphins, and chimpanzees. While it’s easy to see these actions as resembling human responses to emergencies, understanding their true significance in animals is challenging.

In their study, scientists used lab mice to explore these questions. The researchers recorded how the mice reacted when they found a familiar partner that was unresponsive due to anesthesia. They noticed that the mice started with gentle behaviors, like sniffing and grooming, but then escalated to stronger actions, such as biting or pulling their partner’s tongue.

Interestingly, these behaviors were rare when the partner was awake or merely sleeping, and they stopped as soon as the partner regained consciousness. The mice interacted more actively with their unresponsive partners, spending over 47% of their time trying to engage with them, compared to just 5.8% with active partners.

A significant portion of their attention focused on the mouth area, with mice successfully pulling out the tongues of their unresponsive companions about 50% of the time. In one test, the caregiving mice removed a foreign object placed in the unconscious partner’s mouth 80% of the time. Remarkably, those mice who received care woke up and could walk sooner than those who did not receive any help.

The researchers found that these actions likely had a positive effect on the unconscious mice, aiding their recovery. They discovered that certain neurons in the brain, specifically in areas like the amygdala and hypothalamus, are involved in triggering these caregiving behaviors.

While it can be tempting to think of these mice as performing “CPR,” it’s essential to approach such interpretations cautiously. Regardless, it provides a fascinating insight into how animals might instinctively support each other in critical situations.

The study concluded that these emergency responses are an inherent behavior among social animals, highlighting the importance of caring within groups. Such behaviors likely enhance their cohesion and chances of survival. For those curious about the study, it was published in the journal Science.

Source link