The preputials are modified sebaceous glands of unknown function ... Preputial glands also tend to be heavier in dominant as compared to subordinate males among grouped mice of wild strains.Based on the above findings, we postulated that secretions from the preputial glands influence fighting behavior. This paper shows that fighting behavior is modified when one, but not both members of paired male mice have been preputialectomized [circumcised] ...
Ten to 14 days after either preputialectomy [circumcision] or sham surgery, mice were paired in a cage unfamiliar to each individual. During a 15-min observation period (under red light), presence or absence of fighting, latency of attack, total fights, and accumulated attacking time (4) were recorded, and relative social rank was assigned when possible ...
Results. Pairs in which both members were preputialectomized and those in which both members were sham-operated did not differ for any of the behavioral parameters examined ... Mean latency of attack was not significantly less in encounters involving one preputialectomized and one sham-operated male ... but total fights and accumulated attacking time were greater ... In older males ... the occurrence of fighting was increased among pairs comprised of a preputialectomized and a sham-operated animal (fighting occurred in 18 of 20 pairs of mixed surgical treatment as compared to 3 of 10 sham-operated pairs ...
Preputialectomized males initiated the first attack in 45 of 71 encounters when paired with sham-operated males ...
Summary. Indices of aggressive behavior were measured in paired male house mice which previously had been preputialectomized or sham-operated. Total fights and attacking time were increased in pairs comprised of a preputialectomized and a sham-operated animal as compared to that observed in sham-operated pairs. Preputialectomized males also showed a tendency to initiate first attacks of a paired encounter ...