Table 1 Definitions for all aggression- and escape-associated behaviors scored in the resident/intruder assay
Behavior | Description |
|---|---|
Biting | Focal fish physically makes contact with another fish with its mouth while performing an opening and closing motion with its mouth. |
Circling | Both fish engage in a circular motion, typically with one head facing the tail of the other fish and vice versa. |
Following | Focal fish follows the trajectory of another fish, which might or might not be escaping. |
Escaping | Focal fish accelerates away from the other fish. This could be in response to either following, biting or striking. |
Freezing | Focal fish stops moving for greater than 5Â s in any position within the tank. |
Avoidance | Focal fish localizes in a corner of the tank for greater than 5Â s. |
Striking | Focal fish accelerates towards another fish ending in contact (but not necessarily biting). |