Perceptual specificity in the alarm calls of Gunnison's prairie dogs

Behavioural Processes
Judith Kiriazis, C N Slobodchikoff

Abstract

Gunnison's prairie dogs have a complex alarm communication system. We show that the escape responses of prairie dogs to naturally occurring live predators differed depending upon the species of predator. We also show that playbacks of alarm calls that were elicited originally by the live predators produced the same escape responses as the live predators themselves. The escape responses fell into two qualitatively different categories: running to the burrow and diving inside for hawks and humans, and standing upright outside the burrow for coyotes and dogs. Within these two categories there were differences in response. For hawks, only the prairie dogs that were in the direct flight path of a stooping red-tailed hawk ran to their burrows and dove inside, while for humans and human alarm call playbacks there was a colony-wide running to the burrows and diving inside. For coyotes and coyote alarm call playbacks there was a colony-wide running to the burrows and standing alert at the burrow rims, while for domestic dogs and playbacks of alarm calls for domestic dogs the prairie dogs assumed an alert posture wherever they were feeding, but did not run to their burrows. These responses to both the live predators and to predator-elici...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 1, 2009·Animal Cognition·C N SlobodchikoffJennifer L Verdolin
Jul 4, 2013·Chemical Senses·Yasushi KiyokawaYuji Mori
May 20, 2006·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·C N Slobodchikoff, J Placer
Jun 28, 2011·Brain, Behavior and Evolution·Leah KrubitzerDylan F Cooke
Oct 18, 2013·Animal Cognition·Desa M Ausmus, Jennifer A Clarke
Oct 27, 2015·Frontiers in Psychology·Hjalmar K Turesson, Sidarta Ribeiro
Oct 24, 2007·Current Biology : CB·Lucy A BatesRichard W Byrne
Aug 18, 2021·Zoo Biology·Florian D Huels, Angela S Stoeger
Jun 13, 2009·Behavioural Processes·Kathryn LordRaymond Coppinger

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