14
November 2002
Marine mammal predation: A school of seals
Two types of killer whale inhabit the coastal waters off British Columbia. The local population feeds only on fish, but passing whales may eat small mammals. Local harbour seals seem able to distinguish friend from foe, and avoid the killer whales that pose a threat by learning the difference between the sounds that the various whales make through 'personal' experience. Laboratory experiment apart, examples of a learned component to fear in animals are rare. This behaviour could be a particular advantage in habitats where the predatory threat is unpredictable, or liable to change with time.
Selective habituation shapes acoustic predator recognition
in harbour seals
VOLKER B. DEECKE, PETER J. B.
SLATER & JOHN K. B. FORD
Nature 420, 171–173 (2002);
doi:10.1038/nature01030
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