Amazonian Wild Cats Use Mimicry To Outsmart Monkey Prey



Wild Amazonian cats mimic the vocalizations of small animals in order to lure them for dinner. However they don't tell the tiny beasts that they are going to be the main course.
Researchers first recorded the incident in 2005 when a group of eight pied tamarins were feeding in a ficus tree. They then observed a margay emitting calls similar to those made by tamarin babies. This attracted the attention of a tamarin "sentinel," which climbed down from the tree to investigate the sounds coming from a tangle of vines called lianas. While the sentinel monkey started vocalizing to warn the rest of the group of the strange calls, the monkeys were clearly confounded by these familiar vocalizations, choosing to investigate rather than flee. Four other tamarins climbed down to assess the nature of the calls. At that moment, a margay emerged from the foliage walking down the trunk of a tree in a squirrel-like fashion, jumping down and then moving towards the monkeys. Realizing the ruse, the sentinel screamed an alarm and sent the other tamarins fleeing.

Link via Uncertain Times

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My cat chirps at birds, but is really bad at it. My last cat was way better.

I had a really hard time getting past the OMFG CUTE photo to get to the actual story.
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if you've ever been in the Appalachian mountains and heard a panther doing a really good imitation of a screaming woman or crying baby, then you know all about this kind of thing. that's the most hick thing iv'e ever typed.
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