Meeting Abstract

P1.18  Saturday, Jan. 4 15:30  Why does the curly tail lizard (Leiocephalus) curl its tail? An assessment of social and predatory interactions KIRCHER, BK*; JOHNSON, MA; Trinity University bkircher@trinity.edu

Animal display behaviors are used to convey specific messages to other animals, including potential mates, rivals, and predators. However, because these different types of interactions can be mediated by a single behavioral display, or conversely, multiple signals can be used to convey one specific message, interpretation of any particular behavioral display can be difficult. Leiocephalus lizards (i.e., curly tails) provide a unique opportunity to study the use of display behavior across social contexts. Previous research has demonstrated that the use of tail-curling is associated with predation risk, but little is known regarding the use of this behavior in other social contexts. The goal of this study was to determine to what extent the tail-curling display behavior is used to mediate both social and predatory interactions in two species, Leiocephalus barahonensis (the orange-bellied curly tail, Dominican Republic) and L. carinatus (the northern curly tail, Bahamas). We found that in lizards of both species, tail-curling was used in both social and predatory interactions, while associated head-bobbing behaviors occurred only in interactions with conspecifics. Further, tail-curl intensity did not differ between individuals involved in social encounters and those that were not. Leiocephalus carinatus exhibited greater intensity of tail-curl upon fleeing from a human predator than during undisturbed observations, while L. barahonensis demonstrated no differences in tail-curl intensity between the two situations. These results suggest that tail-curling behavior, while consistently a component of interactions with potential predators, is not a necessary component of social interactions.