Tradeoff Between Travel Speed and Olfactory Food Detection in Ring‐Tailed Coatis (Nasua nasua)

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01783.x
• Publication Date: 2010-05-05T03:02:20Z
• Authors: Ben T. Hirsch
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; 590

Abstract The distance at which an animal can detect food has important ramifications for foraging behavior. Although some studies have investigated the factors affect visual detection, very little is known about what influences olfactory detection abilities in wild animals. discovery behavior of ring‐tailed coatis ( Nasua nasua ) was studied using experimental fruit plots. Coatis primarily used olfaction to these new sources, and appeared plausible only five 148 trials. detected from longer distances when traveling compared with invertebrates leaf litter. Travel speed had a negative effect on distance. slowly plots further away, demonstrated tradeoff between detection. If this biologically important, slower groups should visited more trees per day, so data taken during full‐day coati group follows were analyzed determine whether pattern occurred. Slower moving than faster once confounding such as daily travel distance, identity, spread, year controlled for. These results are consistent hypothesis that exhibit speed‐accuracy This appears be factor influencing movement ecology groups.