Play for Prey: do deer fawns play to develop antipredator tactics or to prepare for the unexpected? Animal Behaviour, 156, 31-40. In comparison with the closely related white-tailed deer, who use their speed and agility to out-run predators and will not defend their young, the fawns of both species played very similarly, instead of matching to their antipredator strategies. What I love most about nature is that usually our simple assumptions don’t actually hold true. Knowing that mule deer adults are social and rely on being able to communicate with one another especially in stressful situations, the fawns should spend most of their time playing with each other to really build on these social skills, right? In the winter, both males and females of all ages form large social groups which lowers their individual risk of being attacked. To avoid losing fawns to predators in the summer, mule deer females rely on a good defense that often involves a coordinated effort of multiple females. Taking what we know about play and what mysteries remain to be revealed in specific species, I looked at the play behaviour in mule deer fawns to see if this pattern of play behaviour mimicking antipredator behaviour held in this species of deer. Smith (Ed.), Play in animals and humans (pp.

Play in prey animals like ungulates (hooved animals) often mimics their predator avoidance strategies, which may be giving playful prey an advantage in survival. These animals are essentially practicing for either settling dominance disputes between pack members or becoming a fierce predator respectively. Think about puppies that jump on each other with their mouths open, teeth showing, and playfully going for each other’s necks, or kittens that quietly hunch down and pounce on a toy. The playful brain: venturing to the limits of neuroscience. Play also often resembles other behaviours that show up later in life.

Do prey animals survive