Young animals are known to direct alarm calls at a wider range of species than adults. Our field study examined age-related differences in the snake-directed antipredator behavior of infant, juvenile, and adult white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in terms of alarm calling, looking behavior, and aggressive behavior. In the first experiment, we exposed infant and juvenile white-faced capuchins to realistic-looking inflatable models of their two snake predators, the boa constrictior (Boa constrictor) and neotropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) and a white airplane as a novel control. In the second experiment, infants, juveniles, and adults were presented photographic models of a coiled boa constrictor, rattlesnake, indigo snake (Drymarchon corais), a noncapuchin predator, and a white snake-like model. We found that antipredator behavior changed during the immature stage. Infants as young as 4 months old were able to recognize snakes and display antipredator behavior, but engaged in less snake-model discrimination than juveniles. All age classes exhibited a lower response to the white snake-like model, indicating that the absence of color and snake-scale patterns affected snake recognition. Infants also showed a higher level of vigilance after snake-model detection as exhibited by a higher proportion of time spent looking and head cocking at the models. Aggressive antipredator behavior was found in all age classes, but was more prevalent in juveniles and adults than infants. This study adds to the knowledge of development of antipredator behavior in primates by showing that, although alarm calling behavior and predator recognition appear at a very young age in capuchins, snake-species discrimination does not become apparent until the juvenile stage.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22106 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States of America.
Among the most immediate drivers of American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) declines, nontarget toxicity to pesticides is poorly understood. Acute, episodic exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides at environmentally relevant concentrations is linked to negative impacts on beneficial terrestrial insect taxa. Beyond mortality, behavioral indicators of toxicity are often better suited to assess sublethal effects of residual concentrations in the environment.
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January 2025
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China. Electronic address:
Predation risk can influence behavioral decisions of animals in various ways. Prey animals have the opportunity to choose antipredation behaviors and escape strategies only by quickly and accurately identifying predators. As precocial birds, domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) have no adaptation period after hatching and must immediately survive under predation risk.
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January 2025
Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA.
Parental experiences can alter offspring phenotypes via transgenerational plasticity (TGP), which may prime offspring to adaptively respond to novel stressors, including novel predators. However, we know little about the types of sensory cues (e.g.
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January 2025
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czech Republic.
Predator recognition is essential for prey survival, allowing for appropriate antipredator strategies. Some bird species, such as the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio), distinguish not only between predators and non-threatening species but also between different predator species. Earlier studies have identified general predator "key features", especially beak shape and talons, as critical for predator recognition.
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January 2025
Laboratory of Sensory Ecology, Department of Physiology & Behavior, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil. Electronic address:
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