Proto-cooperation: group hunting sailfish improve hunting success by alternating attacks on grouping prey

Herbert-Read, James E.Uppsala universitet,Stockholms universitet,Zoologiska institutionen,Uppsala University, Sweden,Tillämpad matematik och statistik,Stockholm Univ, Dept Zool, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden. (author)

Proto-cooperation : group hunting sailfish improve hunting success by alternating attacks on grouping prey

We present evidence of a novel form of group hunting. Individual sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) alternate attacks with other group members on their schooling prey (Sardinella aurita). While only 24% of attacks result in prey capture, multiple prey are injured in 95% of attacks, resulting in an increase of injured fish in the school with the number of attacks. How quickly prey are captured is positively correlated with the level of injury of the school, suggesting that hunters can benefit from other conspecifics' attacks on the prey. To explore this, we built a mathematical model capturing the dynamics of the hunt. We show that group hunting provides major efficiency gains (prey caught per unit time) for individuals in groups of up to 70 members. We also demonstrate that a free riding strategy, where some individuals wait until the prey are sufficiently injured before attacking, is only beneficial if the cost of attacking is high, and only then when waiting times are short. Our findings provide evidence that cooperative benefits can be realized through the facilitative effects of individuals' hunting actions without spatial coordination of attacks. Such 'proto-cooperation' may be the pre-cursor to more complex group-hunting strategies.

Romanczuk, PawelLeibniz Inst Freshwater Ecol & Inland Fisheries, Muggelseedamm 310, Berlin, Germany.;Humboldt Univ, Fac Life Sci, D-10115 Berlin, Germany.;Princeton Univ, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA. (author)
Krause, StefanLubeck Univ Appl Sci, Dept Elect Engn & Comp Sci, D-23562 Lubeck, Germany. (author)
Strömbom, DanielUppsala universitet,Tillämpad matematik och statistik,Lafayette Coll, Dept Biol, Easton, PA 18042 USA.(Swepub:uu)danst554 (author)
Couillaud, PierreUniv Paris 06, Dept Licence Sci & Technol, F-75005 Paris, France. (author)
Domenici, PaoloCNR, IAMC, I-09170 Torregrande, Oristano, Italy. (author)
Kurvers, Ralf H. J. M.Leibniz Inst Freshwater Ecol & Inland Fisheries, Muggelseedamm 310, Berlin, Germany.;Max Planck Inst Human Dev, Ctr Adapt Rational, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. (author)
Marras, StefanoCNR, IAMC, I-09170 Torregrande, Oristano, Italy. (author)
Steffensen, John F.Univ Copenhagen, Marine Biol Sect, DK-3000 Helsingor, Denmark. (author)
Wilson, Alexander D. M.Univ Sydney, Sch Life & Environm Sci, Sydney, NSW, Australia.;Deakin Univ, Sch Life & Environm Sci, Waurn Ponds, Vic 3216, Australia. (author)
Krause, JensLeibniz Inst Freshwater Ecol & Inland Fisheries, Muggelseedamm 310, Berlin, Germany.;Humboldt Univ, Fac Life Sci, D-10115 Berlin, Germany. (author)
Stockholms universitetZoologiska institutionen (creator_code:org_t)

In:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences: The Royal Society283:18420962-84521471-2954

By the author/editor: Herbert-Read, Ja ...; Romanczuk, Pawel; Krause, Stefan; Strömbom, Daniel; Couillaud, Pierr ...; Domenici, Paolo; show more...; Kurvers, Ralf H. ...; Marras, Stefano; Steffensen, John ...; Wilson, Alexande ...; Krause, Jens; show less...

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