A context analysis of bobbing and fin-flicking in a small marine benthic fish.

ABSTRACT: Most antipredator strategies increase survival of individuals by signaling to predators, by reducing the chances of being recognized as prey, or by bewildering a predator's perception. In fish, bobbing and fin-flicking are commonly considered as pursuit-deterrent behaviors that signal a predator that it has been detected and thus lost its surprise-attack advantage. Yet, very few studies assessed whether such behavioral traits are restricted to the visual presence of a predator. In this study, we used the yellow black-headed triplefin Tripterygion delaisi to investigate the association between these behaviors and the visual exposure to (a) a black scorpionfish predator (Scorpaena porcus), (b) a stone of a size similar to that of S. porcus, (c) a conspecific, and (d) a h

SUBMITTER: Santon M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7863667 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature