PARENT SESSION

Behavior 4 -- Session Chair: John Koprowski-- Nelson Hall East, Goodwin Forum

USE OF CHEMOSENSORY CUES BY THE HISPID POCKET MOUSE, CHAETODIPUS HISPIDUS, TO RECOGNIZE SNAKE PREDATORS. Emily N. Ackland¹ and Karen McBee². ¹ 430 LSW, Dept. of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA; ² 430 LSW, Dept. of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.

ABSTRACT- Animals use auditory, visual, tactile, and olfactory signals to detect and avoid predation. Several mammal species have been shown to recognize scents of mammalian and reptilian predators. I examined how hispid pocket mice respond to the scent of a sympatric snake predator, allopatric snake predator, non-predatory snake, and non-predatory mammal. I exposed mice to each scent over a 4 day period (1 scent per day) in a laboratory apparatus containing 2 chambers; with a test scent and with a control. I recorded number of times mice went into the scent or control chamber and the proportion of time spent in either chamber. Repeated measures ANOVA showed no differences in number of times mice entered chambers. There were also no significant differences in time spent in chambers with sympatric predator scent, non-predatory mammal scent, non-predatory mammal scent, and their corresponding controls. Pocket mice did however spend significantly more time in the chamber with allopatric predator scent than in the control chamber. This indicates that pocket mice can detect snake scent. They may have spent more time with this scent for investigation because it was unfamiliar. Response to sympatric predator scent indicates that detection of chemosensory cues alone may not be threatening enough to elicit avoidance or inspection of the scent. Pocket mice likely use other means to avoid snake predation such as selective microhabitat use.

KEY WORDS: predation , snake, chaetodipus hispidus, chemosensory