Rough-and-tumble play

[1] It has been pointed out that despite its apparent aggressiveness, rough-and-tumble play is helpful for encouraging cooperative behavior and cultivation of social skills.

Males typically engage in this type of play more frequently and intensively than females, a pattern observed across diverse taxa ranging from rodents to primates.

This dimorphism is thought to result from the influence of prenatal and early postnatal hormones, particularly androgens like testosterone, which shape the neural circuits governing social and play behavior.

Researchers propose that these sex differences may have evolutionary significance, contributing to the development of motor skills, dominance behaviors, and social strategies that were advantageous for reproductive success in ancestral environments.

Male Galapagos fur seal pups (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) are reported to engage in play bouts that are twice as long as those seen in female conspecifics.

[31][32] In the Cebidae family, male tufted capuchins (Cebus apella) spend more time wrestling and chasing than females.

[33][34][35][36][37][38] Captive coppery titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus) have not shown any sex-related differences in juvenile rough-and-tumble play.

This pattern is reported again in the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulata), and that males also had higher frequencies of success in play bouts.

It is suggested however that these patterns are influenced heavily by age in this species, and that females engage in more social play later in their development (48 to 61 months).

[63][64] Rough-and-tumble play has been observed in captive prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and wild capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), irrespective of sex.

In wild yellow-bellied marmosets (Marmota flaviventris), male yearlings participate in bouts more frequently than female conspecifics.

[68][69][70] Results from captive golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) suggest that males engage more frequently in bouts and longer than females.

This pattern is also observed in the juvenile rough-and-tumble play behavior of captive hooded rats (Rattus norvegicus).

One study reports that male Jeju pony foals are more likely to engage in this kind of play after grooming compared to female conspecifics.