Paul F. Brain a1 a1 School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Swansea, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
p.brain@swansea.ac.uk
Abstract
The view that female mammals are more docile appears to
arise in part from imposing human values on animal studies. Many
reports of sexual dimorphism in physical aggression favouring the
male in laboratory rodents appear to select circumstances where that
expectation is supported. Other situations that favour the expression
of conflict in females have been (until recently) relatively little
studied. Although female rodents generally do not show the
“ritualised” forms of conflict that characterise male
sexual competition, they can use notably damaging strategies
(especially if they are of short duration). Such considerations might
weigh in the selection of strategies by our own species.
