Fatal attraction territorial males of a neotropical lizard increase predation risk when females are sexually receptive

• Published in: Behavioral ecology and sociobiology Vol. 75; no. 12; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Ventura, Stefânia P. R., Galdino, Conrado A. B., Peixoto, Paulo Enrique C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Science + Business Media 01.12.2021; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Ecology; antipredatory behavior; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; breeding season; Costs; Decisions; escape behavior; Females; Field tests; Life Sciences; Lizards; Males; Mating; Neotropics; ORIGINAL ARTICLE; Predation; Predators; Prey; prey species; Risk; Seasons; Sexual behavior; sociobiology; Zoology; Social cost; Optimal escape theory; Anti-predatory strategies; Flight initiation distance

Studies that test the optimal escape theory often show that males base their escape strategies on the costs and benefits of escaping. Consequently, some studies have shown that males exhibit riskier anti-predatory strategies when they are near females, probably to avoid losing reproductive opportuni...