Meeting Abstract

P3.177  Monday, Jan. 6 15:30  Falcons pursue prey using optical flow cues: new perspectives from animal-borne cameras KANE, S. A.*; ZAMANI, M.; Haverford College, Haverford PA; Haverford College, Haverford PA samador@haverford.edu

This study reports on experiments on falcons wearing miniature videocameras mounted on their backs or heads while pursuing flying prey. Videos of hunts by a gyrfalcon (Falcon rusticolus), gyrfalcon (Falcon rusticolus)/Saker falcon hybrids and peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) were analyzed to determine apparent prey positions on their visual fields during pursuits. These video data then were interpreted using computer simulations of pursuit steering laws observed in insects and mammals. A comparison of the empirical and modeling data indicates that falcons use optical flow cues to track and capture flying prey via a form of motion camouflage. The falcons also were found to maintain their prey’s image at visual angles consistent with using their shallow fovea. These results should prove relevant for understanding the coevolution of pursuit and evasion, as well as the development of computer models of predation and the integration of sensory and locomotion systems in biomimetic robots.