Tails of enticement: caudal luring by an ambush‐foraging snake (<i>Acanthophis praelongus</i>, Elapidae)

Hagman, Mattias; Phillips, Benjamin L.; Shine, Richard

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2435.2008.01466.x

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…For example, a predator may wait to ambush prey with a lure out, a typical fishing strategy (e.g. [34]). This ability comes with a well-justified tradeoff [35] as the behaviour requires either a large brain or an investment in physical structures or substances to attract prey.…”

Section: Model and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the innovation and evolution of predatory tactics

Gokhale

Wignall

2019

Preprint

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Predator-prey systems are ubiquitous across ecological systems. Typical ecological models focus on the dynamics of predator-prey populations. Eco-evolutionary models integrate arms race or Red-Queen like dynamics. The roles of the predator and prey species are always assumed to be static. Nevertheless, sometimes predators can bite off more than they can chew. For example, predators that encounter multiple or dangerous prey types may need to develop new predatory tactics to capture prey. We explore the dynamics of predator-prey dynamics when the prey can injure or kill the predator. This common ecological scenario places pressure on the predator to develop novel predatory tactics to both capture prey and avoid counter-attack from prey. Taking a bottom-up approach, we develop the Holling function mechanistically and then implement it in a model of innovationselection dynamics inspired by economic theory. We show how an interdisciplinary approach can be used to explain the emergence of complex predatory behaviours. Notably, our study shows why predators may hunt dangerous prey even when safe prey are available. In a broader context, we demonstrate how a multidisciplinary approach combining ecology, evolution and economics improves our understanding of a complex behavioural trait.

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Section: Model and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the innovation and evolution of predatory tactics

Gokhale

Wignall

2019

Preprint

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“…The detailed studies on A. praelongus have supported several hypotheses about the biology of death adders: for example, they have shown that the caudal lure is effective at attracting some but not all potential prey, with vulnerability greater for some prey taxa [14] and some body sizes [32]. Hence, reliance on this tactic may influence dietary composition [10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphology, Reproduction and Diet in Australian and Papuan Death Adders (Acanthophis, Elapidae)

2014

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Death adders (genus Acanthophis) differ from most other elapid snakes, and resemble many viperid snakes, in their thickset morphology and ambush foraging mode. Although these snakes are widely distributed through Australia and Papua New Guinea, their basic biology remains poorly known. We report morphological and ecological data based upon dissection of >750 museum specimens drawn from most of the range of the genus. Female death adders grow larger than conspecific males, to about the same extent in all taxa (20% in mean adult snout-vent length, = SVL). Most museum specimens were adult rather than juvenile animals, and adult males outnumbered females in all taxa except A. pyrrhus. Females have shorter tails (relative to SVL) than males, and longer narrower heads (relative to head length) in some but not all species. The southern A. antarcticus is wider-bodied (relative to SVL) than the other Australian species. Fecundity of these viviparous snakes was similar among taxa (mean litter sizes 8 to 14). Death adders encompass a broad range of ecological attributes, taking a wide variety of vertebrate prey, mostly lizards (55%), frogs and mammals (each 21%; based on 217 records). Dietary composition differed among species (e.g. frogs were more common in tropical than temperate-zone species), and shifted with snake body size (endotherms were taken by larger snakes) and sex (male death adders took more lizards than did females). Overall, death adders take a broader array of prey types, including active fast-moving taxa such as endotherms and large diurnal skinks, than do most other Australian elapids of similar body sizes. Ambush foraging is the key to capturing such elusive prey.

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“…The 'tendency to attack toads' is a complex trait in death adders and involves caudal luring of potential prey, as well as visual and olfactory assessment before launching a strike. Death adders are more likely to caudal lure in response to cane toads than to native anurans (Hagman et al, 2008(Hagman et al, , 2009). Thus, variation in the tendency to caudal lure in response to toads may underlie much of the variation in a snake's tendency to attack this novel type of prey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The floodplain death adder Acanthophis praelongus is a dangerously venomous, ambush-foraging snake native to tropical Australia (Cogger, 2000). Floodplain death adders are highly susceptible to toad toxin (Phillips, Brown & Shine, 2003), consume frogs as a natural part of their diet (Webb, Shine & Christian, 2005; and use caudal luring to attract prey (Hagman, Phillips & Shine, 2008). This combination of traits renders this floodplain adder highly susceptible to impact from toads (Hagman, Phillips & Shine, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predator behaviour and morphology mediates the impact of an invasive species: cane toads and death adders in Australia

Phillips

Greenlees

Brown

et al. 2010

Animal Conservation

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The arrival of an invasive species can have severe impacts on native species. The extent of the impact, as well as the speed at which native species may mount an adaptive response, depend upon the correlation between impact and the individual phenotypes of the native species. Strong correlation between phenotype and impact within the native species raises the possibility of rapid adaptive response to the invader. Here, we examine the impact of a dangerous newly arrived prey species (the highly toxic cane toad Bufo marinus) on naı¨ve predators (death adders Acanthophis praelongus) in northern Australia. During laboratory trials and field radiotracking, toads killed 48% of the adders we studied. Long-term monitoring of the population also suggests a massive decline (489%) in recent years concurrent with the arrival of toads. Variation in snake physiology (resistance to toad toxin) had little bearing on snake survival in the field. Snake behaviour (tendency to attack toads) and morphology (body size and head size), however, were strong predictors of snake survival. Smaller snakes with relatively small heads, and snakes that were unwilling to attack toads in the laboratory, had much higher survival rates in the field. These results show that toads have a massive impact on death adder populations, but that snake phenotypes strongly mediate this impact. Thus natural selection is operating on these adder populations and an adaptive response is a possibility. If these adders can rapidly shift toad-relevant morphological and behavioural traits (either through plastic or evolved means), they will ultimately face a lowered impact from this toxic invader.

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Tails of enticement: caudal luring by an ambush‐foraging snake (Acanthophis praelongus, Elapidae)

Cited by 27 publications

References 25 publications

On the innovation and evolution of predatory tactics

On the innovation and evolution of predatory tactics

Morphology, Reproduction and Diet in Australian and Papuan Death Adders (Acanthophis, Elapidae)

Predator behaviour and morphology mediates the impact of an invasive species: cane toads and death adders in Australia

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