Sunday, December 6, 2009

Lizards change their diet to avoid predators!

A scientist from the university of Salamanca and Yale University has discovered that the presence of predators affects a lizard species from the Negev Desert called Acanthodactylus beershebensis,
A study has shown these lizards move less and catch different prey if they are near predators. "When there is greater pressure from predators, the individuals tend to move less and catch more mobile prey from somewhat different groups. The lizards' diet and food-seeking behaviour changed significantly when we experimentally increased the predation pressure on them", PĂ©rez-Mellado tells SINC. Scientists have researched the lizards and their diets and have found that lizards mostly consume ants, termites, and they barely consumed seeds when they were pressured by predators.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2009/12/02/lizards_change_their_diet_to_avoid_predators.html

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