Paternal Behavior in Rodents

The literature on paternal behavior in rodents includes reportsof many species; however, paternal behavior appears more prevalentamong muroid and hystricomorph rodents than in the sciurids.Many reports of paternal behavior are based on small numbersof animals observed under special conditions. Where systematicstudies have been conducted, the most salient feature of rodentpaternal behavior is its lability. The occurrence varies withobserver constraints, genotype, experience, social conditionsduring observation, and stimulus characteristics. This intraspecificvariability renders application of the comparative method inunderstanding evolution difficult but may provide a key in theremarkable adaptation of rodents to diverse habitats. Althoughspecies differences exist the evolution of rodent paternal behaviorappears to entail changes in the thresholds and conditions forthe occurrence of a relatively few basic motor patterns of paternalcare.