Island tameness

Island tameness is reduced avoidance of people or other unfamiliar threats in some island animals, often associated with limited exposure to terrestrial predators.

Predator naivety: Reduced recognition of, or response to, predators that an animal has not encountered during its evolutionary history. Limited experience with ground predators can leave island animals less likely to treat people as threats.
Island biogeography: The study of how species richness and ecological communities vary among islands. Its account of isolation and colonization provides context for the evolution of island animal behavior.
Dodo: An extinct, flightless pigeon native to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Its lack of experience with human hunters is often invoked to explain its vulnerability after people arrived.
Island extinction: The disappearance of a species or population from an island. Tameness can increase exposure to hunting and introduced predators after human arrival.
Predator recognition: An animal’s ability to identify predators and distinguish them from nonthreatening organisms. Island tameness can arise when unfamiliar predators are not recognized as dangerous.
Island evolution: Evolutionary change in populations isolated on islands, often shaped by small populations and distinct environments. Reduced predator exposure is one evolutionary condition associated with behavioral change on islands.
Galápagos mockingbirds: Several closely related mockingbird species native to the Galápagos Islands. Their approachability helped Darwin recognize differences among island populations during the Beagle voyage.
Introduced predators: Predators transported by people beyond their native ranges into ecosystems where prey may lack defenses against them. Island animals with little predator experience can be especially vulnerable to these new threats.
Flight initiation distance: The distance at which an animal begins to flee from an approaching threat. Short flight distances provide a measurable expression of reduced avoidance.
Insular mammal syndrome: A recurring set of ecological and morphological traits found in mammals on islands. Its proposed traits include shifts in behavior and predator responses alongside body-size changes.

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