Flash behavior in mammals?

Abstract

Conspicuous coloration in animals has many possible functions including signaling to conspecifics, or predator deterrence through confusion, intimidation, and duping; the last includes flash behavior where predators are deceived into looking for conspicuous cues exhibited in flight but that are hidden when the animal comes to rest. In an effort to see if flash behavior occurs in mammals, we made predictions about situations where conspicuous coloration (as based on human assessment) might occur in artiodactyls and lagomorphs, and other predictions as to where such coloration might be found under an intraspecific signaling hypothesis. Using phylogenetically controlled analyses, we found that across species of artiodactyls, conspicuous rumps are more likely to have evolved in larger-sized group-living species supporting an intraspecific signaling function; this was not replicated in lagomorphs. Examining those artiodactyls that can facultatively expose color patches (putative flash behavior), we discovered that this trait occurred in artiodactyls that are solitary or living in very small groups irrespective of their body size. It is therefore possible that species such as white- and black-tailed deer, which display white rumps and tails during pursuit but hide them when stationary, are using flash behavior to confuse the predator into looking for the wrong object and thereby avoid detection and suggests that this form of antipredator defense in mammals needs greater attention. We found no effects of group size or body mass on conspicuous tail or ear markings in these taxa.

Significance statement

Many mammals have conspicuous markings on their appendages and hindquarters, the function of which is mostly unknown. We matched these markings in rabbits, hares, and pikas and in bovids and cervids to both body size and group size across species. We found that conspicuous rumps are found in group living ungulates but when we separated these into conspicuous hindquarters always on display or that could be hidden, we found that hidden markings were principally found in species living alone or in very small groups irrespective of their body size. These species may expose conspicuous patches during flight but hide them at rest fooling the predator into searching for the wrong object, a relatively newly researched defense mechanism called flash behavior.