title: Freezing behaviour facilitates bioelectric crypsis in cuttlefish faced with predation risk.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA cbedore@georgiasouthern.edu.
authors.forename: Christine N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Bedore
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kajiura
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Sönke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnsen
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D049833:Sepia / Q000502:physiology*; D012754:Sharks / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: biophysical ecology; cephalopod; crypsis; elasmobranch; electroreception; sensory ecology