Effects of risk, cost, and their interaction on optimal escape by nonrefuging Bonaire whiptail lizards, Cnemidophorus murinus

Optimal escape theory seeks to explain variation in the distance to an approaching predator at which the prey initiates escape (flight initiation distance). Flight initiation distance increases when predators pose a greater threat and decreases when escape costs increase. Although optimal escape theory has been highly successful, its predictions have been tested primarily for species that escape to discrete refuges, and most studies have focused on single risk or cost factors. We present data from two experiments in which two risks or a risk and a cost varied in Bonaire whiptail lizards ( Cnem... Mehr ...