Mice offer well -known guys first aid

Reports have long been circulating that some animal species are in need, such as elephants, dolphins and chimpanzees. A team around Wenjian Sun from the University of South California in Los Angeles investigated whether this is also mice.

The mice met in cages on colleague species that were dead, unconscious or immobile. If the individuals were known, the rodents made it possible. It seemed that they approached, sniffed the immobile animals and licked on the fur. Then they concentrated on the face and throat.

Liberated airways
In more than half of the experiments, they even pulled their tongue out of their mouths out of their mouths, which raised the airways. If there was a strange body in the mouth of the mouse, they usually removed it. The anesthetized or damn mice that were cared for came to themselves faster than colleague species without such support. As soon as the animals had recovered, they stopped their concern again.

The researchers wrote that reminded of first aid measures in people. The motivation is difficult to recognize, but curiosity and the desire for social interaction should not be. It is probably a congenital social behavior.

A second study by a team around Fangmiao Sun from the University of California in Los Angeles confirmed the results. The Oxytocin of the Messenger, which is often referred to as cuddly or binding hormone, will probably play a role. The help for immobile group members is generally widespread among social animals, said it.