Caudal luring

A baby coastal carpet python, Morelia spilota mcdowelli, demonstrating use of its tail as a lure for prey.

Caudal luring is a form of aggressive mimicry characterized by the waving or wriggling of the predator's tail to attract prey.[1] This movement attracts small animals who mistake the tail for a small worm or other small animal.[1] When the animal approaches to prey on the worm-like tail, the predator will strike.[1] This behavior has been recorded in snakes,[2] sharks,[3] and eels.[4]

  1. ^ a b c Heatwole, Harold; Davison, Elizabeth (1976). "A Review of Caudal Luring in Snakes with Notes on Its Occurrence in the Saharan Sand Viper, Cerastes vipera". Herpetologica. 32 (3): 332–336. ISSN 0018-0831. JSTOR 3891463.
  2. ^ Jackson, R. R.; Cross, F. R. (2013). "A cognitive perspective on aggressive mimicry: Aggressive mimicry". Journal of Zoology. 290 (3): 161–171. doi:10.1111/jzo.12036. PMC 3748996. PMID 23976823.
  3. ^ Aalbers, S. A.; Bernal, D.; Sepulveda, C. A. (May 2010). "The functional role of the caudal fin in the feeding ecology of the common thresher shark Alopias vulpinus". Journal of Fish Biology. 76 (7): 1863–1868. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02616.x. ISSN 0022-1112. PMID 20557638. S2CID 205226057.
  4. ^ Nielsen, Jørgen G.; Bertelsen, E.; Jespersen, Åse (1989). "The Biology of Eurypharynx pelecanoides (Pisces, Eurypharyngidae)". Acta Zoologica. 70 (3): 187–197. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.1989.tb01069.x.