I'd really be interested if anyone has seen this and in what species. It's basically young toadlets tongue flicking each other on the head. I've seen/found records of it in 3 species in NA.
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"Zotting" behavior (tongue flicks on the head)
Cotton
Jul 22, 2003 12:36 AM
Replies (7)
Colchicine
Jul 23, 2003 10:09 AM
Could you be more specific about describing this behavior? I am completely unfamiliar with it.
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*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.
".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)
Cotton
Jul 24, 2003 06:28 PM
Honestly I am unfamiliar too. I'm a student trying to put together a project involving toads. Anyway, I noticed that some young toads would tongue flick each other on the head when food was present(mealworm). I got extremely excited thinking I had found something new, but after reading some scientific herp journals found a paper describing "zotting/ a zot" which was what they called the tongue flick. They claimed that it was not dependent on size. That paper also said that 3 previous papers talking about the behavior in other species, but I didn't look it up.
I should note that my toads stopped doing it and it seems to be only for very young captive toads maybe. (I spent about 8-9 hours at a pond looking at toadlets through binoculars and never saw this behavior.)
Colchicine
Jul 24, 2003 07:22 PM
Thanks for the explanation, but I'm not sure if I still understand the significance of this behavior. It is easy to assume that this is part of a "feeding frenzy" behavior where anything that moves is game. Can you cite the paper? And can you tell me if the authors thought there is any significance to this behavior?
Sorry if I sound too negative, but I just "don't get it"!
-----
*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.
".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)
Cotton
Jul 25, 2003 07:56 PM
I'll have to find the paper. It's around here somewhere. I'll try to post within 24 hours. The author thought it might have been some sort of dominance type thing. Don't argee with him 100% though.
Cotton
Jul 25, 2003 07:59 PM
I'll have to find the paper. It's around here somewhere. I'll try to post within 24 hours. The author thought it might have been some sort of dominance type thing. Don't argee with him 100% though.
Cotton
Jul 27, 2003 01:04 AM
Computer problem caused that. Clicked and nothing happened then clicked again and saw 2.
Anyway the article appeared in Copeia, 1973, No. 2. Page 342-344. It's titled "Observations on Social Behavior in Immature California Toads (Bufo Boreas) During Feeding."
Colchicine
Jul 27, 2003 10:46 AM
>>Computer problem caused that. Clicked and nothing happened then clicked again and saw 2.
>>
>>Anyway the article appeared in Copeia, 1973, No. 2. Page 342-344. It's titled "Observations on Social Behavior in Immature California Toads (Bufo Boreas) During Feeding."
-----
*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.
".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)
