The Behavior of Communicating: An Analysis of the 22 kHz Call of Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The 22 kHz vocalization of male rats (R. norvegicus) occurs in a wide variety of social contexts. It is, for example, emitted during sexual and aggressive encounters. In this article, we put forth the idea that although the specific meaning of the signal varies from one social situation to another, the message is similar-the animal is in a refractory, withdrawn, or helpless state. To demonstrate that the signal produced in one behavioral context could function appropriately in another, we showed that a male rat, emitting the 22 kHz call because of just having copulated, is treated by an aggressive male as if he were submissive. To highlight the communality between the refractory states of the vocalizing animal in various social contexts, we demonstrated that a postejaculatory male (during the time that he would be calling) behaves in a fashion similar to that of an animal that is in a state of learned helplessness.