Freezing behaviour facilitates bioelectric crypsis in cuttlefish faced with predation risk.
Published
Journal Article
Cephalopods, and in particular the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, are common models for studies of camouflage and predator avoidance behaviour. Preventing detection by predators is especially important to this group of animals, most of which are soft-bodied, lack physical defences, and are subject to both visually and non-visually mediated detection. Here, we report a novel cryptic mechanism in S. officinalis in which bioelectric cues are reduced via a behavioural freeze response to a predator stimulus. The reduction of bioelectric fields created by the freeze-simulating stimulus resulted in a possible decrease in shark predation risk by reducing detectability. The freeze response may also facilitate other non-visual cryptic mechanisms to lower predation risk from a wide range of predator types.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Bedore, CN; Kajiura, SM; Johnsen, S
Published Date
- December 2015
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 282 / 1820
Start / End Page
- 20151886 -
PubMed ID
- 26631562
Pubmed Central ID
- 26631562
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1471-2954
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0962-8452
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1098/rspb.2015.1886
Language
- eng