Human influence on the tameness of wall lizard,<i>Podarcis muralis</i>

Diego-Rasilla, Francisco Javier

doi:10.1080/11250000309356521

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, the conclusions drawn regarding differences between types of disturbance in different locations are novel. Most previous studies of reptiles have contrasted behavior at disturbed versus undisturbed sites (Labra & Leonard ; Diego‐Rasilla ; Suarez‐Dominguez et al. ) rather than at a variety of sites that differed in their disturbance as we did.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Effect of Human Presence and Human Activity on Risk Assessment and Flight Initiation Distance in Skinks

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Antipredator behavior and risk assessment of many species are affected by the presence of humans and their activities. Previous studies have largely been conducted on birds and mammals and relatively less is known about human impacts on reptiles. We used flight initiation distance (FID) as a measure of risk assessment in inland blue‐tailed skinks (Emoia impar) and tested the direct and indirect effects of humans on risk assessment. We first examined the effects of varying levels and types of human disturbance and activity on skink FID. We found that skinks flushed at significantly longer distances in areas with the least human activity. We then tested the degree to which skinks are able to discriminate different numbers of humans by comparing FID across three different types of approaches. Skinks did not significantly differentiate between a single approacher and a single approacher coming from a group of two other people, but did flush at greater distances when approached by three people simultaneously. Although skinks are not directly harvested or harassed by humans, they have refined human discrimination abilities. Overall, skinks habituate to a variety of human activities and perceive a larger threat when the number of human approachers is greater.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Effect of Human Presence and Human Activity on Risk Assessment and Flight Initiation Distance in Skinks

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There may also be a regional effect, as both Lattanzio (2009) and this study were conducted at the same field station (but on different species in different portions of the station property). Thus, lizards may be more accustomed to human presence at El Zota than they would be in other areas (e.g., Labra and Leonard 1999, Diego-Rasilla 2003, Prosser et al 2006. Data on a wider array of taxa along a broader gradient of human disturbance would be useful in this respect to better understand the implications of predator approach characteristics for prey behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delayed escape responses of male Basiliscus plumifrons (Squamata: Corytophanidae) during peak activity

Lattanzio

2019

Phyllomedusa

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Delayed escape responses of male Basiliscus plumifrons (Squamata: Corytophanidae) during peak activity. Many animals must balance their time spent active in a habitat against their perceived risk of predation. Factors that may increase that perceived risk, such as a faster predator approach, are therefore expected to cause prey to initiate escape quickly to avoid capture. At the same time, because patterns of daily activity can fuctuate throughout the day, the relative costs and benefts of initiating escape may also differ over time. Here I evaluated the escape responses of adult male emerald basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) lizards in two different time periods: morning (when daily activity peaks) and early afternoon (when activity is suppressed). Further, I approached each lizard at either a practiced slow or fast pace. Escape responses were recorded as fight-initiation (distance between observer and lizard prior to escape) and fight (distance travelled during escape) distance. No factor affected fight distance, and approach speed also had no effect on fight initiation distance. In contrast, time period affected fight initiation distance, with males approached in the morning delaying their escape response compared to males approached during the early afternoon. Because morning and early afternoon periods coincide with peak and suppressed periods of activity for basilisks at this study site, respectively, ambushforaging species like B. plumifrons may delay escape when active to avoid prematurely alerting the predator of their presence.

show abstract

“…However, compared to head bobbing in iguanid lizards, foot shakes (and head bobs) of many lacertids tend to be brief and relatively inconspicuous, which probably explains why they have been largely unnoticed. As a case in point, several recent reports of antipredator behavior in Podarcis muralis relied, as our study, on observations of the behavior of lizards approached by a human acting as a surrogate predator, yet none even mention foot shake displays in this context (Diego-Rasilla, 2003a, 2003b; Martín, López, Bonati, & Csermely, 2010). In fact, pursuit-deterrent foot shakes may have been observed in other lacertid species but were not recognized as such.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predator-elicited foot shakes in wall lizards (Podarcis muralis): Evidence for a pursuit-deterrent function.

Font

Carazo

Lanuza

et al. 2012

Journal of Comparative Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Under certain circumstances, prey may inform potential predators of their unprofitability by means of pursuit-deterrent signals. The evidence for pursuit-deterrent signaling in reptiles is scant and taxonomically biased. Wall lizards, Podarcis muralis (Squamata: Lacertidae) produce several distinct types of stereotyped foot shake displays, of which one, performed in antipredator contexts, is a likely candidate for a pursuit-deterrent function. We investigated this possibility by recording the responses of lizards in the field to a slowly approaching human acting as a surrogate predator. In addition to starting and flight initiation distances, we measured the presence of foot shakes, the leg that was shaken, and the distance from the observer at which the display was performed (display distance). Of a total of 484 approaches, 109 (22.5%) elicited foot shake displays. Roughly half the lizards displayed from the location where they were first sighted, while the other half moved a short distance, then displayed. There was no left-right preference in the leg used to display, but most lizards displayed with the leg closer to the approaching predator. Juveniles and subadults had smaller flight initiation distances than adult lizards. There were no sex-related differences in starting or flight initiation distances, but females, for a given distance, were more likely to display than males. Foot shake display frequency declined abruptly at 1 m. If lizards waited until the surrogate predator was this close, they mostly fled without displaying. Our results show that antipredator foot shaking in P. muralis is consistent with expectations from pursuit-deterrent theory.

show abstract

Human influence on the tameness of wall lizard,Podarcis muralis

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

The Effect of Human Presence and Human Activity on Risk Assessment and Flight Initiation Distance in Skinks

The Effect of Human Presence and Human Activity on Risk Assessment and Flight Initiation Distance in Skinks

Delayed escape responses of male Basiliscus plumifrons (Squamata: Corytophanidae) during peak activity

Predator-elicited foot shakes in wall lizards (Podarcis muralis): Evidence for a pursuit-deterrent function.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About