Data from: The tonic immobility test: do wild and captive Golden Mantella frogs (Mantella aurantiaca) have the same response?

Adaptations to captivity that reduce fitness are one of many reasons, which explain the low success rate of reintroductions. One way of testing this hypothesis is to compare an important behavioural response in captive and wild members of the same species. Thanatosis, is an anti-predator strategy that reduces the risk of death from predation, which is a common behavioral response in frogs. The study subjects for this investigation were captive and wild populations of Mantella aurantiaca. Thanatosis reaction was measured using the Tonic Immobility (TI) test, a method that consists of placing a frog on its back, restraining it in this position for a short period of time and then releasing it and measuring how much time was spent feigning death. To understand the pattern of reaction time, morphometric data were also collected as body condition can affect the duration of thanatosis. The significantly different TI times found in this study, one captive population with shorter responses, were principally an effect of body condition rather than being a result of rearing environment. However, this does not mean that we can always dismiss the importance of rearing environment in terms of behavioural skills expressed.

降低个体适合度的圈养适应，是导致物种再引入成功率偏低的诸多诱因之一。验证该假说的有效途径之一，是对比同一物种圈养种群与野生种群的关键行为反应。僵死行为（Thanatosis）是一类可降低被捕食致死风险的反捕食策略，在蛙类中属于较为常见的行为表现。本研究的实验对象为金色曼蛙（Mantella aurantiaca）的圈养种群与野生种群。本研究通过强直静止（Tonic Immobility, TI）测试量化僵死反应：具体操作为将蛙类置于背部朝下的体位，短暂固定该姿势后释放，随后记录其装死的持续时长。为探究反应时长的变化规律，本研究同时采集了形态测量学数据，因为动物体况会对僵死行为的持续时长产生影响。本研究中观测到的强直静止时长存在显著差异：其中一个圈养种群的反应时长更短，该差异主要源于体况差异，而非饲养环境的影响。但这并不意味着我们可以一概而论地忽视饲养环境对动物所展现出的行为技能的重要性。