Function of snake mobbing in spectral tarsiers

Gursky, Sharon

doi:10.1002/ajpa.20364

Cited by 36 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…The remaining trials (eagle, one of seven; control, five of eight) elicited no vocal response, whatsoever. The snake model received mixed responses (five of nine trials, hoos; four of nine trials, singing), perhaps because of differences in prior knowledge of this predator among different groups (Gursky 2006). The general trend was that gibbons gave different responses to the aerial and the ground predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the fact that they have been studied in the wild for decades (Carpenter 1940), surprisingly little is known about the role of predation on gibbon evolution. Similar-sized and even larger monkeys are well within the prey spectrum of most big cats, eagles and snakes Gursky 2006;Matsuda et al 2008). However, gibbons may be better protected from predation than other groups of primates with comparable body and group sizes due to their highly specialised rapid locomotion and preference for the high canopy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In primates, most species living in undisturbed habitats face a range of natural predators that include mammalian carnivores (Boesch 1991;Fay et al 1995), raptors (Struhsaker and Leakey 1990) and snakes (Heymann 1987;Gursky 2006). Predation can influence the size and composition of groups, reproductive and vocal behaviour, cognitive abilities and habitat use (van Schaik and van Hooff 1983;Hill and Lee 1998;Zuberbühler and Jenny 2002;Janson 2003;van Schaik et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The anti-predator behaviour of wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar)

Clarke

Reichard²,

Zuberbühler

2011

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Predation on gibbons is rarely observed in the wild. However, the gibbons' moderate body size and relatively small social groups suggest high vulnerability to predation. To assess the role of predation and to study their anti-predator behaviour, we presented visual predator models to nine groups of wild white-handed gibbons at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. We measured subjects' immediate and delayed responses to four potential predators: tiger, clouded leopard, crested serpent eagle and reticulated python. Subjects reliably approached all four predators. In response to tigers and leopards, they additionally produced predator-specific songs and defecated copiously. In terms of delayed responses, distance between mated adults decreased, but only after exposure to the tiger model. In response to eagles and pythons, gibbons consistently vocalised, but this did not always include predator singing, and we found no long-term effects in overall activity or strata use. However, during 6 of 26 predator encounters, the gibbons produced songs with a structure that was intermediate between a duet song and a predator song more than 20 min after the predator encounter, indicating a long-term effect on their vocal behaviour. This study demonstrates that gibbons discriminate between different potential predators and respond to them with adaptive anti-predator behaviour, which include predator-specific vocal responses. We conclude that gibbons are not immune to predation and that terrestrial predators elicit consistent immediate and delayed anti-predation responses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The anti-predator behaviour of wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar)

Clarke

Reichard²,

Zuberbühler

2011

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…This strategy of harassment, known as mobbing, consists of several patterns of behavior including approaches, loud vocalizations, and physical attacks. Despite the fact that mobbing is known in numerous species of birds and mammals (Curio and Regelmann 1985;Dugatkin and Godin 1992;Graw and Manser 2007), and is a dramatic component of the behavioral repertoire of many primate species (Bartecki and Heymann 1987;Boesch 1991;Chapman 1986;Cowlishaw 1994;Eberle and Kappeler 2008;Gursky 2005;Lloyd et al 2006;Passamani 1995;Perry et al 2003;Ross 1993;Schulke 2001), it has been the subject of surprisingly little systematic research (but see Gursky 2005Gursky , 2006Wheeler 2008), and its adaptive significance remains poorly understood (for a review of the hypothesized benefits of predator mobbing, see Caro 2005;Curio 1978).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risky Business? Lethal Attack by a Jaguar Sheds Light on the Costs of Predator Mobbing for Capuchins (Cebus capucinus)

et al. 2012

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While some primates attempt to avoid predation by fleeing or hiding, others actually approach, harass, and sometimes attack potential predators, a behavior known as mobbing. Mobbing seems to invite obvious risks, but predators have rarely been observed to injure or kill animals that harass them. The true costs of predator mobbing and the functional significance of this behavior remain poorly understood. Here, we report a fatal attack by a jaguar (Panthera onca) on a mobbing capuchin (Cebus capucinus) that we observed on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. This rare observation illustrates that mobbing predators such as large felids can, indeed, be costly. However, to understand fully the costs of mobbing, the energetic and opportunity costs that primates incur when they harass predators must also be considered.

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“…Studies of referential signaling aid in dispelling the view that prosimians are primitive and not worthy of comparison with monkeys and apes (Oda, 1998;Fichtel & Kappeler, 2002). A handful of studies further reveal that prosimians are not always cryptic and may engage in social displays toward predators (Sauther, 1989;Schülke, 2001;Bearder et al, 2002;Gursky, 2005b).…”

Section: Prefacementioning

confidence: 99%

Primate Anti-Predator Strategies

Gursky¹,

Nekaris²

2007

Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects

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This peer-reviewed book series melds the facts of organic diversity with the continuity of the evolutionary process. The volumes in this series exemplify the diversity of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches currently employed by primatologists and physical anthropologists. Specific coverage includes: primate behavior in natural habitats and captive settings; primate ecology and conservation; functional morphology and developmental biology of primates; primate systematics; genetic and phenotypic differences among living primates; and paleoprimatology. Printed in acid-free paper. ANTHROPOID ORIGINS: NEW VISIONSAll rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of going to press, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. PrefaceThe impact of predation on the morphology, behavior, and ecology of animals has long been recognized by the primatologist community (Altmann, 1956;Burtt, 1981;Curio, 1976;Hamilton, 1971;Kruuk, 1972). Recent thorough reviews of adaptations of birds and mammals to predation have emphasized the complex role that predation threat has played in modifying proximate behaviors such as habitat choice to avoid predator detection, degree and type of vigilance, and group size and defense, as well as ultimate factors including the evolution of warning systems, coloration, and locomotor patterns (Thompson et al., 1980;Sih, 1987;Lima & Dill, 1990;Curio, 1993;Caro, 2005). From the late 1960s, primatologists have adopted similar techniques to analyze the impacts of predation on the social systems of monkeys and apes (Crook & Gartlan, 1966;Eisenberg et al., 1972;Goss-Custard et al., 1972; Clutton-Brock, 1974; van Schaik & van Hooff, 1983). The fact that actual predation was witnessed but rarely fueled a debate regarding whether predation or food acquisition played a more important role in primate evolution (Wrangham, 1980;van Schaik, 1983;Anderson, 1986;Janson, 1987; Wrangham, 1987;Rodman, 1988;Janson, 1998). More recent studies are more subtle in their design, and have worked from a hypothetical framework that an animal's being eaten is mor...

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Function of snake mobbing in spectral tarsiers

Cited by 36 publications

References 36 publications

The anti-predator behaviour of wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar)

The anti-predator behaviour of wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar)

Risky Business? Lethal Attack by a Jaguar Sheds Light on the Costs of Predator Mobbing for Capuchins (Cebus capucinus)

Primate Anti-Predator Strategies

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