The escape response of juvenile Psammodromus algirus lizards.

The timing, magnitude, and orientation of the escape response from a model predator were examined. A high proportion of the responses were touch-evoked; the lizards responded only immediately after the model contacted them. When the model approached at a higher speed, lizards (Psammodromus algirus) initiated the escape sooner, ran at higher speeds, and escaped to longer distances, but their reactive distances did not vary. Model speed did not affect the escape duration or the directness of the response. Escape trajectories were not random. Responses away from the model occurred more often than responses toward the model, but initial orientation affected the direction of escape trajectories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)