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Luckbot t1_irn8vdm wrote

Reply to comment by sciguy52 in Can Elks get depression? Are there many studies that explore sadness in mammals? by Somebodynobody29

I mean, wouldn't that experiment potentially actually measure how long they can physically keep going? Or do we know they could swim for longer and just don't because they give up on the psychological level?

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sciguy52 t1_irohqws wrote

I had to look this up since I don't do this test. It actually isn't exactly like I stated, they aren't kept in the tank till they stop, it is a fixed period and close observation is used to determine the amount of effort to swim and escape. And apparently mice float just fine without swimming so they do not need to swim to keep their heads above water. So it is a bit more subtle experiment than I let on. I am sure there are variations in the test but it looks like this is done for 6 minutes.

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Luckbot t1_irq4m1l wrote

Thanks you, that makes a lot of sense.

And now I wonder what a "mice swim effort rating sheet" looks like

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