Antipredatory reaction of the leopard gecko Eublepharis macularius to snake predators

Current Zoology
Eva LandováDaniel Frynta

Abstract

Ability to recognize a risk of predation and react with adaptive antipredatory behavior can enhance fitness, but has some costs as well. Animals can either specifically react on the most dangerous predators (threat-sensitive avoidance) or they have safe but costly general wariness avoiding all potential predators. The level of threat may depend on the predator's foraging ecology and distribution with the prey with sympatric and specialist species being the most dangerous. We used 2 choice trials to investigate antipredatory behavior of captive born and wild-caught leopard geckos confronted with different snake predators from 2 families (Colubridae, Boidae) varying in foraging ecology and sympatric/allopatric distribution with the geckos. Predator-naïve subadult individuals have general wariness, explore both chemically and visually, and perform antipredatory postures toward a majority of snake predators regardless of their sympatry/allopatry or food specialization. The most exaggerated antipredatory postures in both subadult and adult geckos were toward 2 sympatric snake species, the spotted whip snake Hemorrhois ravergieri, an active forager, and the red sand boa Eryx johnii, a subterranean snake with a sit-and-wait strategy. ...Continue Reading

References

May 1, 2001·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·S J Downes, M Adams
Apr 12, 2002·Journal of Chemical Ecology·Megan L HeadPaul Doughty
Apr 1, 2006·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Phillip Bergmann, Duncan J Irschick
Sep 1, 1998·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·A SihD Wooster
Oct 28, 2014·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Kinsey M BrockJohannes Foufopoulos

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