Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 81 (2): 179-183, 2008
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Lack of response of an open-habitat ungulate to the presence of predator
urine
The behavioral response of ungulates to the presence of odors associated with
dangerous predators has received some attention, yet little is known about how predominantly open habitat ungulates react to the
presence of predator scents. We investigated the behavioral responses of a predominantly open-habitat ungulate, the guanaco,
Lama guanicoe, when exposed to the urine of various predators. Guanacos only reacted to the urine of mountain lions
(native predator), Puma concolor, in one trial. The lack of a response to predator urine may indicate that guanacos
generally rely on vision more than olfaction for predator detection.
Key words:
olfaction, predator
scent, predator detection
