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A study in the forthcoming July edition of The American Naturalist journal by Jakob Bro-Jørgensen of the United Kingdom's Liverpool University and Wiline Pangle of Michigan State University, finds false lion warnings are used to deter straying mates among topi antelope in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. The study calls this a first documented case of such sexual deception by false alarms."Here, we report that false alarm snorts are used by male topi antelopes (Damaliscus lunatus) to tactically deceive receptive females who intend to leave a male's territory into believing that they are headed toward a predator," says the study. "Consequentially, the departure of the female is delayed, providing the male with additional mating opportunities."... "Although firm statements about intentions behind behaviors are notoriously difficult to make, our study does identify a parallel between animals and humans in their capability of using false signaling to deceive mates, a finding that hints that their communication may be less fundamentally different than widely assumed," concludes the study. Posted by: Mike 2010-05-19 |
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