![]() Indeed, as turning slows the prey down, turning may often be disadvantageous, and so fewer turns should be seen during a pursuit. However, when the predators and prey are of similar size, the prey gain little or no advantage from executing high-speed turns. Wilson et al.'s model predicts that chases between large predators and smaller prey should feature frequent sharp turns, as the prey try to exploit their superior turning ability. The model is based in part on a mathematical problem called the ‘homicidal chauffeur game’, where a car driver attempts to run over a pedestrian. have now created a mathematical model that considers how the mass of a predator and its prey influences the course and strategies used in a land-based pursuit. The effect of the relationship between mass and turning ability on the strategies used during land-based pursuits had not been investigated. ![]() However, larger animals can apply relatively less force than smaller animals for turns and so cannot turn as rapidly. The speed at which animals can turn depends on the forces involved in cornering, and larger animals need to produce greater forces for any given turn. The timing of these turns is crucial if the prey turns when the predator is too far away, the predator can cut the corner off the turn and catch up with the prey more easily. Any predator that cannot turn quickly enough will have to run further to catch up with the prey again, thus potentially allowing the prey to pull away from the predator. Prey often make sudden sharp turns when running to evade a predator. The outcome of predator prey pursuits thus depends critically on mass effects and the ability of animals to time turns precisely.Ī pursuit between a predator and its prey involves complex strategies. It also explained why acceleration data from wild cheetahs pursuing different prey showed different cornering behaviour with prey type. This clarifies why in a meta-analysis, we found a preponderance of predator/prey mass ratios that minimized the turn radii of predators compared to their prey. We incorporated the maximum speed-mass relationship with an explanation of why larger animals should have greater turn radii the forces needed to turn scale linearly with mass whereas the maximum forces an animal can exert scale to a 2/3 power law. We develop a model for terrestrial, cursorial predators to examine how animal mass modulates predator and prey trajectories and affects best strategies for both parties. The dynamics of predator-prey pursuit appears complex, making the development of a framework explaining predator and prey strategies problematic.
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