Coordinated hunting by Cuban boas

Abstract

-Coordinated hunting, in which individual predators relate in time and space to each other's actions, is uncommon in animals, and is often difficult to distinguish from simply hunting in non-coordinated groups, which is much more common. The author tested if Cuban boas (Chilabothrus angulifer) hunting bats in cave passages take into account other boas' positions when choosing hunting sites, and whether their choices increase hunting efficiency. Snakes arriving to the hunting area were significantly more likely to position themselves in the part of the passage where other snakes were already present, forming a "fence" across the passage and thus more effectively blocking the flight path of the prey, significantly increasing hunting efficiency. This is the first study to test for coordination between hunting reptiles, rather than assume such coordination based on perceived complexity of hunting behavior.

Rainforest pythons flexibly adjust foraging ecology to exploit seasonal concentrations of prey

“…For example, well‐watered suburban gardens attract pythons (Slip & Shine, 1988; Fearn et al ., 2001); oases in the desert attract vipers (Shulov, 1966); and irrigated golf courses attract rattlesnakes (Goode et al, 2003). Even closer analogies to the system we have described involve Cape cobras ( Naja nivea ) exploiting the communal nests of weaver birds ( Philetairus socius ) in Africa (MacLean, 1973), and boid, pythonid and colubrid snakes aggregating in caves that house nesting colonies of bats (Esbérard & Vrcibradic, 2007; Sharifi et al ., 2014; Dinets, 2017). The most notable aspect of the scrub pythons that we have studied is the magnitude of the shift engendered by the seasonal availability of prey, and the way that these resource hotspots generate near‐dichotomous shifts in predatory tactics of snakes, rather than falling along a continuum as may more commonly be the case.…”

In what sense are dogs special? Canine cognition in comparative context

“…However, Hector collects a number of reports of true cooperative hunting, though mainly between pairs rather than larger groups; his own study of the Aplomado falcon is an example. Among cold-blooded vertebrates, there are reports of cooperative group hunting in crocodilians (Dinets, 2015), boas (Dinets, 2017), and at least one teleost, the zebra lionfish (Rizzari & Lönnstedt, 2014). All of these hunts showed clear signs of cooperation, involving specialized roles, turn taking, and occurred more than once involving the same grouping of individuals.…”

Attacked from above and below: new ethological evidence on the predation strategies of corvid and varanid on a cave-roosting bat

“…Although past evidence suggest that C. macrorrhyncos are proficient of the sophisticated cooperative and coordinated hunting the present observed hunting behaviour is peculiar and never been observed before, particularly for non-trivial bat prey. Cooperative hunting is an opportunistic or simultaneous hunting behaviour documented in few vertebrate groups (Bernard 1988, Packer and Ruttan 1988, Dinets 2017. This occurs when two or more individuals or groups of conspecifics cooperate to hunt larger or more aggressive prey to increase hunting success while reducing energy expenditure (Hector 1986, Bernarz 1988, Bowman at al.…”

“…This strategy is noticeably identified on apparently observed coordination of the group or flocks, for example, each member attacks the target prey sequentially, which the hunters allow others groups to take advantage situation and benefit (Dinet 2015). Cuban boas (Chilabothrus angulifer ), for example, was documented to block cave bats in cave opening to increase hunting efficacy giving an advantage to other groups to hunt (Dinets at al. 2017).…”