The Adaptive Significance of Tail-Flagging: A Test in European Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Ethology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Mammals typically have dull coloration for camouflage.
• Some mammals display white undersides, particularly the tail, which can be flashed.
• The adaptive significance of white tail flashing in mammals is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the adaptive significance of white tail flashing in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
• To test hypotheses including alarm signaling, quality advertisement, and confusion effect.
• To examine the evolutionary association of white tails with ecological and social traits in Lagomorphs.

Main Methods:

• Observation of 2169 escape events in wild European rabbits.
• Utilized human approaches, predator models (fox, marten), and live buzzard attacks.
• Employed phylogenetic comparative methods across Lagomorphs.

Main Results:

• Tail-flagging conveys different information at distinct stages of predator encounters.
• Before escape, white tail flashing appears to be an alarm signal to conspecifics.
• During escape, it may function as a quality advertisement to deter pursuit or confuse predators in dense populations.

Conclusions:

• White tail flashing in European rabbits is a complex behavior with multiple functions.
• Alarm signaling and predator deterrence/confusion are plausible explanations.
• Vigilance advertisement, perception advertisement, and group cohesion were rejected as explanations.