Prey Defences and Predator Handling Behaviour: The Dangerous Prey Hypothesis
1989; Wiley; Volume: 55; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/3565418
ISSN1600-0706
Autores Tópico(s)Genetic diversity and population structure
ResumoIctalurid catfish possess locking spines which make them dangerous to gape-limited predators such as herons and grebes, but not to ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) which dismember prey. Herons and grebes handled ictalurids longer than prey without locking spines, but ospreys did not. As well, herons and grebes took ictalurids less frequently than ospreys. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that prey handling is a function of the risk of injury during ingestion. Minimization of this risk may not be a constraint, but rather a foraging decision for a predator.
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