Data supporting Reactive anti-predator behavioral strategy shaped by predator characteristics

Abstract

Large mammalian herbivores use a diverse array of strategies to survive predator encounters including flight, grouping, vigilance, warning signals, and fitness indicators. While anti-predator strategies appear to be driven by specific predator traits, no prior studies have rigorously evaluated whether predator hunting characteristics predict reactive anti-predator responses. We experimentally investigated behavioral decisions made by free-ranging impala, wildebeest, and zebra during encounters with model predators with different functional traits. Here, we provide data from 365 trials between the focal herbivore species and models of African lion (Panthera leo), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), and two non-threatening controls (impala Aepyceros melampus and Thomson's gazelle Eudorcas thomsonii).