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Behav Processes. 2015 Jul;116:53-61. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.05.002. Epub 2015 May 6.
Behavioural responses of Eastern grey squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis, to cues of risk while foraging.
- 1Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, University of Exeter, UK. Electronic address: kimberley.jayne@outlook.com.
- 2Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, University of Exeter, UK.
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that Eastern grey
squirrels modify their behaviour while foraging to offset risks of
social and predatory costs, but none have simultaneously compared
whether such modifications are performed at a cost to foraging. The
present study directly compares how grey
squirrels respond to cues of these risks while foraging. We simulated
social risk and predatory risk using acoustic playbacks of stimuli that grey
squirrels might be exposed to at a foraging patch: calls of
conspecifics, heterospecifics (competitor and non-competitor) and
predators. We found that grey
squirrels responded to predator, heterospecific competitor and
conspecific playbacks by altering their foraging and vigilance
behaviours. Foraging was most disrupted by increased vigilance when we
played calls of predators. Squirrels' response to calls of
heterospecific competitors did not differ from their response to
conspecific calls, and they resumed foraging more quickly after both
compared to predator calls: whereas they showed little response to calls
of non-competitor heterospecifics and a white noise control. We
conclude that squirrels respond differentially to calls made by
conspecifics, heterospecific competitors and predators, with the most
pronounced response being to calls of predators. We suggest that
squirrels may view conspecific and corvid vocalisations as cues of
potential conflict while foraging, necessitating increased vigilance.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Competition; Foraging; Playback; Predation; Sciurus carolinensis
