The influence of distance to refuge on flight initiation distance in the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Abstract

Gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) typically run to the nearest tree to escape from predators they encounter while foraging on the ground. As the risk of capture increases with distance from the refuge tree, squirrels feeding far from trees should have greater flight initiation distances than those feeding closer by. This prediction was confirmed: flight initiation distance in response to a motorized model predator (a cat) increased as distance to refuge increased. This could not be attributed to any effect of distance to refuge on vigilance.