Dominance relationships of the dark kangaroo mouse ( Microdipodops megacephalus ) and the little pocket mouse ( Perognathus longimembris ) in captivity

Interspecific interactions between the little pocket mouse ( Perognathus longimembris ) and the dark kangaroo mouse ( Microdipodops megacephalus ) were tested in the laboratory. P. longimembris was statistically dominant over M. megacephalus. The dominant - subordinate relationships shown by our laboratory results indicate that interspecific aggression may be one mechanism involved in keeping these sympatric species ecologically separated.