Heterospecific alarm call recognition in a non-vocal reptile.
The ability to recognize and respond to the alarm calls of heterospecifics has previously been described only in species with vocal communication. Here we provide evidence that a non-vocal reptile, the Galápagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), can eavesdrop on the alarm call of the Galápagos mockingbird (Nesomimus parvulus) and respond with anti-predator behaviour. Eavesdropping on complex heterospecific communications demonstrates a remarkable degree of auditory discrimination in a non-vocal species.
Vitousek
Maren N
MN
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. mvitouse@princeton.edu
Adelman
James S
JS
Gregory
Nathan C
NC
Clair
James J H St
JJ
D000818:Animals; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D007076:Iguanas / Q000502:physiology*; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000502:physiology; D014828:Vocalization, Animal