Physiological correlates of hunting performance in a cooperative predator-prey system

For over a century, artisanal net-casting fishers have been cooperating with wild dolphins to catch the same prey (migratory mullets) in southern Brazil. We are exploring this unique system to study the ecophysiology of predators in predator-prey systems.

While many studies have previously targeted dynamics surrounding the prey, the predator perspective is basically unexplored. We thus want to investigate links between predator experience, foraging performance and cooperation using a state-of the art multiplatform tracking system.