Technical note: examining the response of a large carnivore (Panthera leo) to dummy prey

Animal dummies (sometimes called decoys or models) are widely used in ecological research to investigate predation, sexual selection, or social communication. The use of this method, however, is generally limited to small-bodied taxa, especially in predation studies. Yet, dummy prey could prove useful in understanding large carnivore behaviour, especially in situations where real-time observations and experimental approaches may be difficult. It is not known whether and to what extent large carnivores will recognise dummy prey as realistic in field experiments, which may hinder the development and funding of research using this method. In this study, we presented African lions (Panthera leo) with dummies visually resembling two types of prey in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. Lions showed predatory intent by stalking a dummy in 32% of all visits (N = 7 of 22), in 50% of first-time visits (N = 6 of 12), and in 63% of first-time visits involving a lone lion (N = 5 of 8). Based on our results, we suggest that dummy prey could be a useful tool in the study of the initial stages of a predation event, where a predator approaches its prey. We further discuss opportunities for, as well as potential limitations to, dummy use in the study of predation by large carnivores. We hope that this technical note will facilitate future study design using this methodology and encourage further exploration of the method.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10344-026-02135-2.