Extra Reading

Question 1

What is an adaptive behaviour of Japanese Tits to locate snakes?

Answer 1

Respond to snake specific alarm calls when outside the nest by looking down

Question 2

What was hypothesised about Japanese Tits when they hear the alarm call for snakes?

Answer 2

Snake-specific alarm calls evoke a visual search image of a snake in tits

Question 3

What were the results of the experiment on Japanese Tits?

Answer 3

If the speaker played a snake alarm call, they would approach the stick but if the speaker played a general alarm call they would not approach the stick

Question 4

What happens when recruitment calls are played?

Answer 4

Less likely to approach the stick compared to when they played snake alarm calls

So do not respond due to the urgency in the calls but the information encoded in the alarm calls

Question 5

Did Japanese Tits approached a stick moving in a non-snake like fashion when the snake specific alarm calls were played?

Answer 5

Did not approach if they played snake or general alarm calls

So alarm calls cause them to look for any snake like objects regardless of spatial position

Question 6

What was concluded about the snake alarm calls in Japanese Tits?

Answer 6

They retrieve visual search images of a snake from snake-specific alarm calls without needed to see a real snake