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Published on: April 7, 2021
Heterospecific alarm call recognition in a non-vocal reptile
Maren N Vitousek1, James S Adelman, Nathan C Gregory
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. mvitouse@princeton.edu
Abstract:
The ability to recognize and respond to the alarm calls of heterospecifics has previously been described only in species with vocal communication. Here we provide evidence that a non-vocal reptile, the Galápagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), can eavesdrop on the alarm call of the Galápagos mockingbird (Nesomimus parvulus) and respond with anti-predator behaviour. Eavesdropping on complex heterospecific communications demonstrates a remarkable degree of auditory discrimination in a non-vocal species.
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