A key by which the toad's visual system gets access to the domain of prey

Searching for principles that allow toads to distinguish between prey and nonprey, we wondered how the toad's prey-catching activity measured as R differs in response to changes in significant configurational stimulus features. Elongated shapes moving worm-like in the direction of their longer axes are preferred prey dummies; but a toad is not a worm detector, and a worm is not the unique prey-catching releaser. Considering the frequency distributions of R values, we show that the release of prey catching is in a specific manner sensitive to the relation between the extensions of an object parallel (xl1) and perpendicular (xl2) to its direction of movement. It is the xl1 and xl2 features-relating algorithm that provides the key (instruction) by which the toad's visual system gets access to the domain of potential prey in terms of configurational cues. This, within behaviorally relevant limits, largely invariant algorithm also holds for segmented stimuli. Further investigations show that this principle of object discrimination is not due to experimental procedures but emerges as a species-common property, of which different toad species take advantage in a species-specific manner. Neurobiological correlates are discussed.