7/29/2023 0 Comments Rat utopia universe 25Constantly called upon to defend their territory, dominant males were also under undue stress. Long periods of inactivity were typically interrupted by bouts of violence, in which withdrawn males would viciously maul one another. They would congregate in large groups near the middle of the pen, and exhibit atavistic behavior. Males who failed to assert dominance over their territory began to withdraw from social interaction. Prevented from finding a territory of their own, excess mice had to contest for roles inside an overcrowded system. As more and more young were born, all social niches came to be occupied. Soon, however, the high fecundity rate started to have an adverse impact on the mouse world. After a period of initial adjustment, the population began to increase exponentially, doubling every fifty-five days. In the absence of predators and environmental adversities the mice began to multiply. When the architecture was completed, Calhoun brought in four breeding pairs of mice, supplying them with food, fresh water, and plentiful wood shavings for nest building. All mortality-inducing factors were mitigated: Universe 25 had an optimal climate, resource supra-availability, disease control, and-since the mice could not climb over the steep metal walls-emigration was impossible. His design, called Universe 25, consisted of a 101-square-inch box, fitted with mesh tunnels, horizontal corridors, and abundant nesting boxes, 256 in total. Calhoun devised an experiment to test the effects of overcrowding on mice.
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