Eat your heart out: Choice and handling of novel toxic prey by predatory water rats

Marissa Parrott; J. Sean Doody; Colin R. McHenry; Simon Clulow

Eat your heart out: Choice and handling of novel toxic prey by predatory water rats

Marissa Parrott, J. Sean Doody, Colin R. McHenry, Simon Clulow

University of South Florida

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We investigated predator-prey interactions between cane toads, Rhinella marina, and native water rats, Hydromys chrysogaster, where toads are novel prey. We show wild rats targeted toads based on larger toad body size, and consumed specific non-toxic organs only. Rats either rapidly learned these behaviours, or adopted them from hunting native frogs.

Original language	American English
Journal	Default journal
State	Published - Jan 1 2019

Keywords

ancestral behavioural repertoire, heart, invasion, lethal toxic ingestion, liver, muscle, organ targeting, rapid learning

Disciplines

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Access to Document

https://doi.org/10.1071/AM19016

Cite this

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title = "Eat your heart out: Choice and handling of novel toxic prey by predatory water rats",

abstract = " We investigated predator-prey interactions between cane toads, Rhinella marina, and native water rats, Hydromys chrysogaster, where toads are novel prey. We show wild rats targeted toads based on larger toad body size, and consumed specific non-toxic organs only. Rats either rapidly learned these behaviours, or adopted them from hunting native frogs.",

keywords = "ancestral behavioural repertoire, heart, invasion, lethal toxic ingestion, liver, muscle, organ targeting, rapid learning",

author = "Marissa Parrott and Doody, {J. Sean} and McHenry, {Colin R.} and Simon Clulow",

note = "Parrott, M. L., Doody J. S., McHenry, C., Clulow, S. (2019) Eat your heart out: choice and handling of novel toxic prey by predatory water rats. Australian Mammalogy. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM19016",

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AU - Parrott, Marissa

AU - Doody, J. Sean

AU - McHenry, Colin R.

AU - Clulow, Simon

N1 - Parrott, M. L., Doody J. S., McHenry, C., Clulow, S. (2019) Eat your heart out: choice and handling of novel toxic prey by predatory water rats. Australian Mammalogy. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM19016

PY - 2019/1/1

Y1 - 2019/1/1

N2 - We investigated predator-prey interactions between cane toads, Rhinella marina, and native water rats, Hydromys chrysogaster, where toads are novel prey. We show wild rats targeted toads based on larger toad body size, and consumed specific non-toxic organs only. Rats either rapidly learned these behaviours, or adopted them from hunting native frogs.

AB - We investigated predator-prey interactions between cane toads, Rhinella marina, and native water rats, Hydromys chrysogaster, where toads are novel prey. We show wild rats targeted toads based on larger toad body size, and consumed specific non-toxic organs only. Rats either rapidly learned these behaviours, or adopted them from hunting native frogs.

KW - ancestral behavioural repertoire, heart, invasion, lethal toxic ingestion, liver, muscle, organ targeting, rapid learning

UR - https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/fac_publications/3904

UR - https://doi.org/10.1071/AM19016

M3 - Article

JO - Default journal

JF - Default journal

ER -

Eat your heart out: Choice and handling of novel toxic prey by predatory water rats

Abstract

Keywords

Disciplines

Access to Document

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Cite this