publication . Article . 2009

Olfactory recognition of predators by nocturnal lizards: safety outweighs thermal benefits

Name: Olfactory recognition of predators by nocturnal lizards: safety outweighs thermal benefits
Keywords: Animal Science and Zoology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

David A. Pike; Richard Shine; Jonathan K. Webb;

Open Access

Published: 19 Nov 2009 Journal: Behavioral Ecology, volume 21, issue 1, pages 72-77

Summary

Abstract

Many prey species are faced with multiple predators that differ in the degree of danger posed. The threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis predicts that prey should assess the degree of threat posed by different predators and match their behavior according to current levels of risk. To test this prediction, we compared the behavioral responses of nocturnal velvet geckos, Oedura lesueurii, to chemicals from 2 snakes that pose different threats: the dangerous broad-headed snake Hoplocephalus bungaroides that eats geckos and the less dangerous small-eyed snake Cryptophis nigrescens that eats skinks (i.e., does not consume geckos). We also tested whether pred...

doi: 10.1093/beheco/arp152

Subjects

free text keywords: Animal Science and Zoology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Predation, Predator, Hoplocephalus bungaroides, biology.organism_classification, biology, Ecology, Nocturnal, Gecko, Predator avoidance, Velvet, Cryptophis nigrescens, ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species, ved/biology

Related Organizations