Meeting Abstract
The outcome of a predatory encounter is determined by the strategy of both predator and prey. Biomechanical studies of these interactions in fishes have largely focused on the evasive maneuvers of prey, whereas the pursuit strategy of predators remains unresolved. We investigated the prey-targeting strategy of juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio) by kinematic analysis of high-speed recordings of the pursuit of simulated prey, a dot that was projected on the wall of an aquarium. Consistent with pursuit-evasion models, we found that zebrafish predators employ a pursuit strategy in which their instantaneous velocity is aligned toward the prey. According to our modeling, this strategy does not minimize the time to capture, but offers accuracy for targeting of slow-moving prey. These findings give insight into the study of predator strategies and emphasizes the utility of integrating mathematical modeling with experimental approaches.
