Food deprivation induces conspecific pup-killing in mice

Periods of 24 to 48 hours of food deprivation reliably induced pup-killing in 30–50% of non-killer male mice. The behavior was prevented by previous experience with young and did not perseverate to non-deprived states. Castrated males and intact females also exhibited pup-killing following food deprivation, suggesting that the behavior is neither sexdependent nor related to the presence of testosterone. The findings are discussed in terms of their relationship to predatory behaviors and population dynamics.