Prairie Voles are small, gray rodents that live in states between the eastern Rocky Mountains and West Virginia – tunneling to survive the winter and feasting on roots, grasses, seeds, tree bark and bugs. They also live in laboratories where scientists like Joshua Danoff says they can teach us about ourselves.
“Traditional models in neuroscience include mouse and rat, and those animals – we call them promiscuous, because they will mate with anyone. The prairie voles are monogamous and both mom and dad help to take care of the pups,” Danoff says.
He and a team of researchers at UVA observed about 125 animals – noting how mothers and fathers raised their babies. Both parents build the nest and find food for the family.
“Moms will huddle over the pups to keep them warm. She’ll lick and groom the pups to clean them, and she’ll nurse them. Dads will do everything that mom does except for nursing.”
Danoff and his colleagues report males that received a lot of attention from dad were more likely to be more attentive parents themselves, they lived longer on average and researchers noted their brains developed differently from those voles raised more by their mothers. Danoff is quick to add that there’s one big difference with people.
“Stranger prairie voles would not be allowed to come into the nest, because the mom and dad would be really aggressive towards strangers.”
Humans, on the other hand, are highly social, so kids raised by single mothers could also get lots of attention from older siblings, uncles, grandfathers and family friends – attention that could promote healthy growth.
