Antipredatory reaction of the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) to snake predators

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00023752%3A_____%2F16%3A43914934" target="_blank" >RIV/00023752:_____/16:43914934 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216208:11310/16:10327191

Result on the web

<a href="http://cz.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/05/17/cz.zow050" target="_blank" >http://cz.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/05/17/cz.zow050</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cz/zow050" target="_blank" >10.1093/cz/zow050</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Antipredatory reaction of the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) to snake predators

Original language description

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 two choice trials to investigate antipredatory behavior of captive born and wild-caught leopard geckos confronted with different snake predators from two 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 towards a vast majority of snake predators regardless of their sympatry/allopatry or food specialization. The most exaggerated antipredatory postures in both subadult and adult geckos were towards two 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. In contrast, also subterranean but allopatric the Kenyan sand boa (Eryx colubrinus) did not elicit any antipredatory reaction. We conclude that the leopard gecko possesses an innate general antipredatory reaction to different species of snake predators, whilst a specific reaction to two particular sympatric species can be observed. Moreover, adult wild caught geckos show lower reactivity compared to the captive born ones, presumably due to an experience of a real predation event that can hardly be simulated under laboratory conditions.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

EG - Zoology

OECD FORD branch

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Project

<a href="/en/project/ED2.1.00%2F03.0078" target="_blank" >ED2.1.00/03.0078: National institute of Mental Health</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2016

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Current Zoology

ISSN

1674-5507

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

62

Issue of the periodical within the volume

5

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

439-450

UT code for WoS article

000383737600004

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-84995975864