DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT MODIFY ANTI-PREDATOR BEHAVIOUR IN GUANACOS (Lama guanicoe)

TARABORELLI P.1, 2, OVEJERO, R.2, MOSCA TORRES M.E.3, SCHROEDER N.M.2,4, MORENO P.2, 5, GREGORIO P.2, MARCOTTI E. 6, MAROZZI A.2 AND CARMANCHAHI P.2

ACTA THERIOLOGICA

POLISH ACAD SCIENCES

Lugar: Bialowieza; Año: 2014

0001-7051

Animals optimize the trade-off between the cost of not fleeing and the benefits of staying, because the factors that influence flight decisions and the disturbance level of a particular stimulus can vary both spatially and temporally. Different factors (human impact and habitat characteristics) that could modify the anti-predator behaviour in different social group types of guanacos were studied. We found that group sizes were conditioned by high poaching, vehicle traffic, predation risk and dense vegetation. Solitary adult males showed shorter alert and flight initiation distances than bachelor and mixed groups. Alert distance was greater during the summer season and assessment times were shorter, when young were present in groups. Within high predation risk environments, guanacos detected the threat at greater distances and flight initiation distance was higher. Alert distances were shorter in hill with higher slope and assessment times were shorter in areas with irregular topography than in flat sites. In areas with high vehicle, traffic flight initiation distance was higher and the assessment times were shorter. And in areas with low poaching, assessment times were greater than with high poaching. Then guanacos may be able to evaluate the true threat. Social group and anti-predator responses were conditioned by habitat characteristics and human impact. We consider that the plasticity of responses could be key to the survival of guanacos.