Fear, foraging and olfaction: how mesopredators avoid costly interactions with apex predators

A study at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, reveals that red foxes adjust their foraging behavior significantly in response to olfactory cues from apex predators like gray wolves. Specifically, foxes increased the amount of food left uneaten (giving-up density) by 34% and reduced time spent foraging per day by 29% when exposed to wolf urine. This adaptive behavior suggests that mesopredators use olfaction to assess risk and balance foraging efficiency with fitness costs, potentially facilitating coexistence between competing predators. The research highlights the ecological importance of large carnivores and underscores the need for understanding these processes to manage land sustainably amid growing human impact.

Haswell, P. M., Jones, K. A., Kusak, J., & Hayward, M. W. (2018). Fear, foraging and olfaction: how mesopredators avoid costly interactions with apex predators. Oecologia, 187(3), 573–583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4133-3