The importance of olfaction for predator detection in spectral tarsiers

Abstract

A limitation of many experimental studies in predation is that they assume primates only use visual and auditory cues to discern the presence of predators and ignore the importance of olfactory cues. This is an obvious gap in predation research, given the importance of chemical information, particularly for nocturnal species. I conducted a study of the role of olfactory signals in predator detection by spectral tarsiers, Tarsius spectrum , at Tangkoko Nature Reserve in Sulawesi, Indonesia. For 80 nights, 20 adult tarsiers were exposed to a wooden civet model covered in civet urine, a wooden civet without urine, a stick covered in civet urine, and a stick without urine. Antipredator responses were overwhelmingly more frequent and more intense in the presence of civet urine, indicating that olfactory cues play an important role for spectral tarsiers in detecting terrestrial predators.