Differential Predatory Behaviors of Two Piscivorous Fishes, Redfin Pickerel (Esox americanus) and Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Date
2008-04-26
Authors
Crowley, Amanda
Tomme, Chelcie
Potter, Amy
Deaton, Ph.D., Raelynn
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sam Houston State University. Elliott T. Bower's Honor College
Abstract
Description
We investigated the possible factors that influence the predatory success of two types of predators, the largemouth bass and the redfin pickerel, in capturing mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). We tested two hypotheses in this experiment: (1) Predatory behavior will depend on the breed of fish; and (2) The level of success in catching prey depends on the predatory behavior used (mode of hunting). We predicted that the pickerel would use the lie-in-wait technique, remaining at the top of the tank or in the vegetation and use quick, abrupt motions to catch the prey. We also predicted that the bass would use the roving technique, swimming throughout the tank searching for the prey, thus catching less fish than the pickerel. Behavior experiments show that there is a significant difference between the predatory behaviors of the bass and the pickerel. Also, there are marginal differences between the rate of success and capturing prey and the attach-with-capture style between predators. The type of tank used had no significance. These results significantly support the hypothesis that the predatory behavior depends on the breed of fish, and they marginally support the hypothesis that the level of success in catching prey is dependent upon the predatory style utilized.
Keywords
Predation (Biology), Predatory aquatic animals, Largemouth bass--Behavior, Redfin pickerel--Behavior