USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications

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

SelectedWorks Author Profiles:

J. Sean Doody

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2019

ISSN

0310-0049

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.

Publisher

CSIRO Publishing

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