Die hard: a blend of freezing and fleeing as a dynamic defense--implications for the control of defensive behavior.
Freezing, fleeing or fighting back are general defensive responses in many taxa. These defenses are mutually exclusive, since a prey cannot simultaneously flee and fight, or freeze and flee. Each of these defenses by itself is rudimentary and probably cannot provide a completely effective means to elude predation. Freezing is efficient only if employed before the prey is spotted by the predator, otherwise the prey becomes a stationary, easy to catch target. In fleeing, the prey can move directly away and maximize its distance from the predator, move toward the predator to confine it to a single clashing point, or dodge sideways to evade the attack. Prey can also run in a straight path that is efficient against slow or distant predators, or in a zigzag path that is efficient when a raptor is close or fast. In all, freezing and fleeing constitute together a complex and flexible defensive response, and are probably controlled by different motor systems that are inter-connected to allow fast switching between these behaviors, as required for an effective and versatile response.
Eilam
David
D
Department of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69 978, Israel. eilam@post.tau.ac.il
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology*; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors