Lingual luring is a form of aggressive mimicry in which a predator (typically a snake or turtle) uses its tongue to fool potential prey into approaching close to what appears to be a small wriggling worm.

Lingual lures are very well developed in young alligator snapping turtles which wait underwater with their mouths open. The tongue is wriggled like a worm and fishes attracted to it are captured by a rapid snapping of the mouth.[1][2]

Lingual luring has also been noted in some species of snakes including the garter snake Thamnophis atratus[3][4] and species of Nerodia (including N. sipedon, N. clarkii and N. rhombifer) – here the luring is initiated by flicking the surface of water with their tongue to attract fish.[5] Similar behaviour has been reported in the snowy egret (Egretta thula) which uses tongue flicking when foraging.[6][7] The puff adder Bitis arietans uses its tongue which is loosely wriggled like a worm to attract amphibian prey. The puff adder also uses its tail as a lure (caudal luring).[8]

References

  1. ↑ East, Mitchell B.; Fillmore, Brian M.; Ligon, Day B. (2013). "Feeding Behavior of Captive-Reared Juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii)". Southeastern Naturalist. 12 (4): 692–702. doi:10.1656/058.012.0409. S2CID 86740062.
  2. ↑ Drummond, Hugh; Gordon, Elizabeth R. (2010). "Luring in the Neonate Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii): Description and Experimental Analysis". Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie. 50 (2): 136. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1979.tb01022.x.
  3. ↑ Welsh, Hartwell H. Jr.; Lind, Amy J. (2000). "Evidence of Lingual-Luring by an Aquatic Snake". Journal of Herpetology. 34 (1): 67–74. doi:10.2307/1565240. JSTOR 565240. S2CID 14920116.
  4. ↑ Welsh, Hartwell H.; Wheeler, Clara A.; Lind, Amy J. (2010). "Spatial Ecology of the Oregon Gartersnake, Thamnophis atratus hydrophilus, in a Free-Flowing Stream Environment" (PDF). Copeia. 2010: 75–85. doi:10.1643/CE-08-106. S2CID 13781715.
  5. ↑ Hansknecht, Kerry A. (2008). "Lingual luring by mangrove saltmarsh snakes (Nerodia clarkii compressicauda)". Journal of Herpetology. 42 (1): 9–15. doi:10.1670/06-016.1. S2CID 26662056.
  6. ↑ Master, Terry L. (1991). "Use of tongue-flicking behaviour by the snowy egret" (PDF). Journal of Field Ornithology. 62 (3): 399–402.
  7. ↑ Buckley, P.A.; Buckley, F.G. (1968). "Tongue-flicking by a feeding snowy-egret" (PDF). Auk. 85 (4): 678. doi:10.2307/4083375. JSTOR 4083375.
  8. ↑ Glaudas, X.; Alexander, G. J. (2017). "A lure at both ends: aggressive visual mimicry signals and prey-specific luring behaviour in an ambush-foraging snake". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 71 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1007/s00265-016-2244-6. S2CID 42792034.
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