Prey Recognition

Abstract

Each event in the behavioral sequence search — capture — killing — ingestion of prey may be governed by different kinds of stimuli. For instance, in the beehunting digger wasp (Philanthus triangulum), approaching, capture, and immobilization of the victim, mostly honey-bees, is steered and elicited by visual, olfactory, and mechanical stimuli, in this order (Tinbergen, 1952; see also Baerends, 1950 and Wolda, 1961: Notonecta). Similarly, while prey capture by flagfish (Jordanella floridae) is elicited by visual stimuli, swallowing is bound to an intact olfactory epithelium (Foster et al., 1966). The discussion below will be restricted to stimuli eliciting prey capture only. The term recognition will be used throughout when an animal discriminates prey from nonprey or between different prey stimuli, as judged from its behavior.