Glossiness disrupts predator localisation of moving prey

Abstract

Movement is the "enemy of camouflage", but most animals must move to find resources, such as mates, food and shelter. Therefore, strategies that disrupt predator localization or speed perception of moving prey can play a crucial role in prey survival. Shiny or glossy appearances, which are characterised by having a high degree of specular (mirror-like) reflection of incident light1, can disrupt predator hunting behaviours towards moving prey2. Different mechanisms may explain this effect3,4,5, but no study has attempted to identify the mechanisms that disrupt perception of moving glossy prey by non-human predators. Here, we present moving glossy green or grey targets to jumping spiders (Mara..