01329nas a2200193 4500008004100000245015700041210006900198520065800267653001500925653001000940653001800950653001800968653001400986653001701000100002001017700002401037700001801061856005601079 2019 eng d00aEavesdropping on a heterospecific alarm call in the giant root-rat (Tachyorytes macrocephalus), an important prey of the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis)0 aEavesdropping on a heterospecific alarm call in the giant rootra3 a
The giant root-rat of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia has been reported to have a mutualistic relationship with a passerine, which involves eavesdropping on its alarm call. We tested this in a field playback experiment. Besides the alarm call, we included two sounds potentially acting as alarm cues and one as a control. Little reaction of root-rats was detected to the bird alarm call. However, intensive reaction was detected to an alarm call of the black-clawed brush-furred rat, a social rodent often occupying root-rats’ burrows. This result is understandable given the two rodents have the same principal predator, the Ethiopian wolf.
10aAfroalpine10aAlarm10aAnti-predator10aeavesdropping10aMutualism10aWing whistle1 aHrouzková, Ema1 aBernasová, Eliška1 aŠklíba, Jan uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10164-019-00618-1