Mobbing-like response to secondary predator cues is not a form of teaching in meerkats

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Across many taxa, individuals learn how to detect, recognise and respond to predators via social learning. Learning to recognise and interpret predator cues is essential in the accurate assessment of risk. Cues can come directly from a predator’s presence (visual, acoustic) or from secondary predator cues (SPCs, such as hair/feathers, urine or faeces) left in the environment. Animals show various responses to encountering SPCs, which are thought to act in reducing risk to the individual. Meerkats, Suricata suricatta, show a response to SPCs not described in any other species: they display a mobbing-like behaviour. The function of this behaviour is unclear as unlike mobbing, the response it so closely resembles, it cannot serve to drive predators away. We used experiments to investigate whether adults may use this mobbing-like response to teach naïve young how to recognise and respond to predators. Meerkats are known to teach pups hunting skills, but there is as yet no evidence that any species other than humans teaches across multiple contexts. We used experimental presentations of SPCs to test whether wild adult meerkats respond more intensely to SPCs in the presence of naïve pups, as would be expected if the behaviour serves to promote learning. Contrary to this prediction, response intensity was lower when pups were present than when they were absent, and declined as the number of pups in the group increased, possibly due to costs associated with foraging with dependent young. Response intensity instead increased with increasing group size, number of group members interacting with the cue, and varied with predator cue type. These results suggest that the mobbing-like response to SPCs is not a form of teaching in meerkats. Instead, this behaviour may function to increase the recruitment of others to investigate the SPC. Exposing group members to SPCs may better inform them of the nature of the threat, facilitating more effective defensive group responses.</jats:p>

Mobbing-like response to secondary predator cues informs group behaviour in wild meerkats

“…However, in contrast to our predictions, meerkat groups reduced the distance travelled in the hour following an SPC encounter. Meerkats' respond with greater intensity to SPCs in larger groups and when a greater proportion of the group is interacting (Driscoll et al 2020). Thus, by the group recruiting and responding to the cue and increases in other defensive behaviours, this may reduce time used for moving, resulting in reduced movement in the period following a SPC encounter.…”

“…The direct presence of a predator can be used in assessing risk through visual or acoustic cues, as well as indirect cues of increased risk such as time of day, habitat type, conspecific cues and conspecific body part remains. Secondary predator cues (SPCs), which are cues left in the environment by a predator (Driscoll et al 2020), can also be used in risk assessment. These cues are produced by the predator but are not directly associated with the predator's current location, and include predator urine, faeces, fur, regurgitation pellets, scent markings and feathers (Driscoll et al 2020).…”

“…Secondary predator cues (SPCs), which are cues left in the environment by a predator (Driscoll et al 2020), can also be used in risk assessment. These cues are produced by the predator but are not directly associated with the predator's current location, and include predator urine, faeces, fur, regurgitation pellets, scent markings and feathers (Driscoll et al 2020). In group-living species, responses to SPCs may play an important role in shaping group-level defensive responses, but this has yet to be investigated.…”

“…Several social mongoose species, including dwarf mogooses, Helogale parvula, banded mongooses, Mungos mungo, and meerkats, Suricata suricatta, also produce distinctive recruitment calls to gather group members around the cue (Furrer & Manser 2009;Zöttl et al 2013;Collier et al 2017). Meerkats seem to take this a step further by responding in a similar way to encountering a live predator (for photos see : Driscoll et al 2020). This intense, mobbing-like response, involving tail raising, piloerection and recruitment calls, is a seemingly disproportionate response to something that in itself does not pose a threat.…”

“…The function of this overt reaction is unclear, as it does not provide the primary benefit that mobbing of an actual predator does: driving a threat away (Curio et al 1978;Graw & Manser 2007). Furthermore, experimental evidence shows that exaggerated responses to SPCs are not used as a means of teaching naïve pups about potential threats, since adults decrease their response intensity in the presence of pups (Driscoll et al 2020).…”