Development of survival skills in captive-raised Siberian polecats (Mustela eversmanni) II: predator avoidance
Journal of Ethology
By: Brian Miller, Dean Biggins, Chris Wemmer, Roger Powell, Lorena Calvo, Lou Hanebury, and Tracy Wharton
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Abstract
We exposed naive Siberain polecats (Mustela eversmanni) (aged 2, 3, and 4 months) to a swooping stuffed great horned owl (Buho virginianus) and a stuffed badger (Taxidae taxus) mounted on a remote control toy automobile frame. The first introduction to each was harmless, the second was accompanied by a mild aversive stimulus, the third (1 day after attack) was harmless, and the fourth (30 days after attack) was harmless. Alert behavior increased after a single attack by either predator model. Escape responses of naive polecats did not differ between ages when exposed to the badger, but 4 month old polecats reduced their escape times after a single badger attack. When exposed to the swooping owl, naive 4 month old polecats redponded more quickly than the other two age groups, and 3 and 4 month old polecats reduced escape times after a single owl attack. This indicates an innate escape response to the owl model at 4 months of age, and a short-tert ability to remember a single mild aversive encounter with the badger and owl models at 3 or 4 months of age.
Suggested Citation
Miller, B., Biggins, D., Wemmer, C., Powell, R., Calvo, L., Hanebury, L., and Wharton, T., 1990, Development of survival skills in captive-raised Siberian polecats (Mustela eversmanni) II: predator avoidance: Journal of Ethology, v. 8, no. 2, p. 95-104, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02350280.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Development of survival skills in captive-raised Siberian polecats (Mustela eversmanni) II: predator avoidance |
| Series title | Journal of Ethology |
| DOI | 10.1007/BF02350280 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year Published | 1990 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Springer-Verlag Tokyo |
| Publisher location | Tokyo |
| Description | 10 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Journal of Ethology |
| First page | 95 |
| Last page | 104 |