The effect of pelage, background, and distance on predator detection and the evolution of primate color vision

Abstract

Primates' predators, such as carnivore mammals, usually rely on camouflage to increase proximity to prey and start a predatory attempt. Camouflage depends not only on the color pattern presented by a predator's pelage but also on the background scene in which the hunting takes place. Another factor that influences camouflage effectiveness is prey's color vision since a given camouflage strategy might not work for all visual phenotypes. Still, little research has been made on the effect of primate visual phenotype on predator detection. Here, we investigate the effects of natural pelages, background scenarios, visual phenotypes, and detection distances on predator detection. We used photographs of taxidermized carnivores (ocelots, cougars, and lesser grisons) as detection stimuli, taken in three different natural scenarios (forest, savanna, and grassland), and at two viewing distances (near and far). On a touchscreen monitor, sets of four images (only one containing a hidden animal) were randomly presented to 39 human males (19 dichromats and 20 trichromats). We found that trichromats, when compared to dichromats, present a lower latency and a higher accuracy of carnivore detection for some conditions tested. We also found that pelage color, background scenario, and detection distance interact to influence the effectiveness of camouflage. Our results suggest that trichromacy might be even more advantageous for carnivore detection than thought before, since it facilitates detection of mammals with diverse pelage colorations, in environments with different phytophysiognomies, and at longer distances. We also propose that the higher rates of dichromacy found in modern human societies could have resulted from a relaxation in predation.

What determines the neural response to snakes in the infant brain? A systematic comparison of color and grayscale stimuli

“…Color information could therefore contribute, albeit slightly, to the rapid categorization of snakes, as it does for faces that are also highly relevant stimuli for the survival of the species ( Or et al, 2019 ). This observation echoes recent findings that trichromat humans—as are most representatives of our species by 3 months ( Teller, 1998 )—outperform dichromats in detecting predators ( Pessoa et al, 2014 ; de Moraes et al, 2021 ). These findings have been taken as evidence in favor of the trichromatic advantage for predator detection hypothesis ( Pessoa et al, 2014 ) according to which trichromatic color vision evolved in humans and closely related primates due to its evolutionary advantage in detecting predators.…”

Enclosure Background Preferences Differ between Sexes and Color Morphs in the Gouldian Finch

“…Moreover, it can prolong foraging [ 22 ], reduce social harassment, or facilitate hidden copulations [ 23 ]. While it is usually prey that camouflages to avoid predation, predators also camouflage to get close to prey [ 24 ] or avoid mobbing [ 19 ].…”

Body posture, gaze, and predator detection: how stalking behaviour may influence colour vision evolution

“…or during intraspecific communication [56][57][58][59][60]. Despite the high number of research investigating the environmental factors that may have influenced primate colour vision evolution, only three studies experimentally evaluated the importance of predation risk on this matter to date [33,61,62]. Several studies have shown that the effectiveness of a camouflage strategy depends on the visual system that observes it [14,33,[63][64][65][66].…”