Lifeguard Rats Will Save Another Rat from Drowning

Rats may be more compassionate toward their fellows than you might have thought. Scientists have discovered that a rat will stick out a paw for another rat to hold onto if it's drowning. Not only that, but this is especially true for rats that have previously had a near-drowning experience.

In this latest study, the researchers conducted experiments involving a pool of water. The scientists made one rat swim for its life in the pool while another was placed in a cage next to it. The soaked rat could only gain access to a dry and safe area in the cage if its cagemate opened a door for it.

During the experiments, the rats quickly learned that to help their fellow, drowning rat, they need to open the door. However, the rats were only quick to open the door when there was actually a truly distressed rat that needed to be saved.

The researchers then decided to complicate things for the rats. They presented the rat with a choice: it could either open the door and save its fellow, or choose a different door to obtain a treat. In most cases, though, the rats chose to help their fellows before going for the treat. This suggests that for a rat, the relative value of helping another is higher than a treat.

"Our findings suggest that rats can behave prosocially and that helper rats may be motivated by empathy-like feelings towards their distressed cagemate," said Nobuya Sato, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The findings reveal that rats can show empathy, and that they can share in the emotional state of members of their own species.

The findings are published in the journal Animal Cognition.

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