TESTING THE USE OF VISUAL CUES OF A MONOCULAR PREDATOR, THE VEILED CHAMELEON (Chamaeleo calyptratus) DURING PREY SELECTION...

[kinyonga]

"The results of our study reveal three main findings. First, experiment 1 demonstrated a significant prefer- ence towards mobile prey compared to stationary prey"...
"Secondly, ex- periments 2 and 3 provided evidence that large prey items are preferred over smaller items during prey selec- tion. Experiment 2 showed a significant visual prefer- ence towards larger crickets, where large crickets were chosen 91.6% of the time during paired comparisons"...
"Thirdly, experiment 3 showed significant evidence that veiled chameleons favor larger prey items, regardless of their time of Introduction"...

http://lindseylab.ca/wp-content/upl...amaeleo-calyptratus-during-prey-selection.pdf

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

"The results of our study reveal three main findings. First, experiment 1 demonstrated a significant prefer- ence towards mobile prey compared to stationary prey"...

Not terribly surprising. My beardie won't eat anything unless it's moving—including his greens.

I would guess it has to do with their vision. Other predators are known to see movement better than still objects.

"Secondly, ex- periments 2 and 3 provided evidence that large prey items are preferred over smaller items during prey selec- tion. Experiment 2 showed a significant visual prefer- ence towards larger crickets, where large crickets were chosen 91.6% of the time during paired comparisons"...
"Thirdly, experiment 3 showed significant evidence that veiled chameleons favor larger prey items, regardless of their time of Introduction"...

Doesn't sound unlike other animals, including many humans—go fo the biggr piece of cake, pizza, etc.
I occasionally goof on my dog, with a large biscuit in one hand and a small biscuit in the other.

 

[kinyonga]

Not terribly surprising. My beardie won't eat anything unless it's moving—including his greens.

I would guess it has to do with their vision. Other predators are known to see movement better than still objects.
Moving things often Dem to attract attention!

Doesn't sound unlike other animals, including many humans—go fo the biggr piece of cake, pizza, etc.
I occasionally goof on my dog, with a large biscuit in one hand and a small biscuit in the other.

And which one does your dog go for?

On a totally different level...I do that type of thing with the bluejays. I throw out a small peanut and then just as they pick it up, I toss out a bigger one. They always go for the bigger one. If I do the same for the chipmunk it just picks the one closest to it. The jays will actually pick up both, one after the other, and take the heaviest one. I like to see the chipmunk try to get the three peanut nut in its pouch...it never fits...but they don't want to give up. I give it weird shaped peanuts to to see what it will do.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

And which one does your dog go for?

Whichever one he sees first!
It's a difficult (for me) test to run. If I get far enough away from him (not easy because he can sniff out those biscuits from 2 rooms away), if one is moving slightly more—or later—than the other, he'll go for whichever moved last or the most motion.

On a totally different level...I do that type of thing with the bluejays. I throw out a small peanut and then just as they pick it up, I toss out a bigger one. They always go for the bigger one. If I do the same for the chipmunk it just picks the one closest to it. The jays will actually pick up both, one after the other, and take the heaviest one. I like to see the chipmunk try to get the three peanut nut in its pouch...it never fits...but they don't want to give up. I give it weird shaped peanuts to to see what it will do.

Yeah, Ol' Furface always comes back for the second one, and if there isn't one, he comes sniffing around to make sure.

We have a morning ritual (dogs & cats are really into ritual); I usually have a banana with my morning coffee, and if he doesn't get a small piece... he parks himself right in front of me and stares a hole through my skull. Dogs are really good at that.