Monday, 17 March 2025

Paramedic mice

 

Paramedic mice

    I read an article recently about a mouse performing a form of CPR on a fellow mouse struck down by illness or accident. Naturally, an experiment (or series of experiments) was conducted to observe such behaviour more closely.

Researchers drugged mice to incapacitate them and watched as the paramedic mice reacted. They pawed the victims, licked them, and pulled their tongues out of their mouths to clear their airways.

It is a phenomenon that has been observed in other mammal species. Something that human beings have to learn and be trained to use seems to come naturally to other animals.

40 comments:

  1. Isn't that amazing? We're all connected! I hope you are feeling better as each day goes by.

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  2. This really surprised me, how clever of them!

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  3. That is a new one to me, and most interesting. I can imagine some mammals doing this such as dogs, perhaps other pet type animals, and primates. Elephants too.

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    1. We don't think of small mammals being caring in the same way, do we?

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  4. I saw an article on this, and isn't it amazing? I wonder how they know to do those things. Like you said, humans have to be trained - but these tiny beings clearly don't.

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    1. Humans seem to have lost many of their instincts. We could learn a lot from animals.

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  5. Extraordinary. And most surprising. Maybe it's the same instinct you see in cows and ewes etc with their newborn young.

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    1. Animals live by instinct. Humans frequently ignore theirs.

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  6. We underestimate our animals we live beside, we have mice in the garden for now, I'm sure at some point Lilly will see them and chase them away. I love to watch them.

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    1. They're dainty, delicate little creatures. The mice in the photograph belonged to my children.

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  7. How fascinating. So much to learn!

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  8. Paramedic mice would give the long-running BBC series "Casualty" a whole new look.

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  9. Animals are just so intelligent. And we don't give them any credit for it.

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    1. Humans think they are superior to all other forms of life.

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  10. Humans have evolved to know about individualism and "Me Me" religion

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    Replies
    1. That is very true. The cult of 'me' is alive and thriving.

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  11. this is all new to me, about the mice and other animals. also animals don't kill for fun, only to eat. thanks for sharing

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  12. Facinating observations about the paramedic mice.

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  13. Animals know.
    We once had a very old cat, Lady was twenty-one, who was dying quite peacefully, and one of our other cats crawled behind her and wrapped her paws around Lady as she slipped away.

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  14. This really makes me wonder about the potential for empathy and altruism in the animal kingdom!
    My latest post: Canon, Cannons and AI

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  15. In your infirmity, you still uncover and present arcane tidbits.

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  16. If only people cared for each other as well as rats do!

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    1. Absolutely! The world would be a kinder place.

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  17. How wonderful. this really cheers me up - what a lot we humans have yet to learn!

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  18. An interesting read.
    There is a lot we can learn from the animal kingdom.

    All the best Jan

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