Dazzled by shine: gloss as an antipredator strategy in fast moving prey

Previous studies on stationary prey have found mixed results for the role of gloss in predator avoidance – some have found that gloss can act as warning colouration or improve camouflage, whereas others detected no survival benefit. An alternative untested hypothesis is that gloss could provide protection in the form of dynamic dazzle. Fast-moving animals that are glossy produce flashes of light that increase in frequency at higher speeds, which could make it harder for predators to track and accurately locate prey. We tested this hypothesis by presenting praying mantids with glossy or matte targets moving at slow and fast speeds. Mantids were less likely to strike glossy targets, independently of speed. Additionally, we found that compared to matte targets, mantids were less likely to track glossy targets and more likely to hit the target with one rather than both raptorial arms, but only when targets were moving fast. These results support the hypothesis that gloss may have a function as an antipredator strategy by reducing the ability of predators to track and accurately target fast-moving prey.