Responses of Natricine Snakes to Predatory Threat: A Mini-Review and Research Prospectus

Abstract

Numerous behaviors of natricine snakes are plausibly interpreted as antipredator mechanisms that are useful at different stages of an encounter with a predator. Several of these behaviors have been described in detail, often in the laboratory, but we know little about the factors that influence their expression and effectiveness in the field, especially against real predators. Thus, one question that we might ask is: How effective are humans and artificial stimuli as proxies for real predators? Other areas that would profit from further research include the role of color and pattern in avoidance of predation, the effect of injury on subsequent survival, growth, or other measures of demographic performance, the role of previous experience in shaping future antipredator behavior, and the links among fear, stress physiology, and antipredator behavior.