Santon Matteo, Troscianko Jolyon, Heatubun Charlie D, How Martin J
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
Sci Adv. 2025 Mar 28;11(13):eadr3686. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adr3686. Epub 2025 Mar 26.
Maintaining camouflage while moving is a challenge faced by many predators. Some exploit background motion to hide while hunting, and others may use coloration and behavior to generate motion noise that impairs detection or recognition. Here, we uncover a unique form of motion camouflage, showing that broadclub cuttlefish pass dark stripes downward across their head and arms to disguise their hunting maneuvers. This "passing-stripe" display reduces the probability of response to predatory expanding stimuli by prey crabs in a lab-based experiment, is modulated according to approach speed during a hunt, and generates a motion pattern that is different from that of looming predators. This form of motion camouflage likely functions by overwhelming the threatening motion of the approaching predator with nonthreatening downward motion generated by the rhythmic stripes.
在移动时保持伪装是许多捕食者面临的挑战。一些捕食者利用背景运动在捕猎时隐藏自己，而另一些捕食者可能会利用颜色和行为来制造运动噪音，从而削弱被发现或识别的可能性。在这里，我们发现了一种独特的运动伪装形式，即宽鳍乌贼会在其头部和腕部向下传递深色条纹，以掩饰它们的捕猎动作。在一项基于实验室的实验中，这种“条纹传递”展示降低了猎物螃蟹对掠食性扩张刺激做出反应的概率，在捕猎过程中会根据接近速度进行调节，并产生一种与逼近的捕食者不同的运动模式。这种运动伪装形式可能是通过有节奏的条纹产生的无威胁向下运动压倒逼近捕食者的威胁性运动来发挥作用的。
