Alarm calling in yellow-bellied marmots: II. The importance of direct fitness

When encountering predators, prey animals often expose themselves by loud vocalization, by repeated movements or by revealing conspicuous colors. The more elaborate displays were often considered to be warning signals directed to other prey, and the less obvious displays to be intention movements. During the last decade, there has been increasing evidence that, in fact, prey display is aimed at the predator, apparently to deter further pursuit. This communication between two seemingly unlikely partners, prey and predator, appears to be based upon a common interest - satisfying the predator's need for further information. Copyright © 1991. Published by Elsevier Ltd.