Determinants of predation success: How to survive an attack from a rattlesnake

Abstract

Catching prey and avoiding predators are central to the reproductive success of animals in nature and a major focus of evolutionary research in biomechanics and locomotion (Higham et al., 2016). Predation is an inherently dynamic interaction that proceeds through a sequence of events (typically termed detection, evaluation, pursuit, subjugation; Curio, 1976, Endler, 1986) that result in either the capture or escape of the prey. Although popular media often focus on cases where predators successfully kill and consume prey, detailed field studies indicate that prey are usually successful in evading attacks (reviewed in Vermeij, 1982), with rates of predator success in many systems as low as 1%–5%. Because most prey appear to escape predators by rapidly moving away from them, researchers Received: 10 October 2018 | Accepted: 18 February 2019 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13318