Protean behavior under barn-owl attack: voles alternate between freezing and fleeing and spiny mice flee in alternating patterns

Auditory thalamocortical transformation: structure and function

Communicative, predatory, and reproductive behaviors rely on the auditory thalamocortical system, a key nexus that combines, transforms, and distributes virtually all acoustic information relevant to survival. The rules of connectivity for this complex network, both anatomically and functionally, are only beginning to be uncovered. Although the auditory thalamocortical system shares many features with other modalities, its connectivity and information processing principles differ from those of other modalities in many ways. Some physiological and anatomical bases for these differences are the subject of this review.

Die hard: A blend of freezing and fleeing as a dynamic defense—implications for the control of defensive behavior

Freezing, fleeing or fighting back are general defensive responses in many taxa. These defenses are mutually exclusive, since a prey cannot simultaneously flee and fight, or freeze and flee. Each of these defenses by itself is rudimentary and probably cannot provide a completely effective means to elude predation. Freezing is efficient only if employed before the prey is spotted by the predator, otherwise the prey becomes a stationary, easy to catch target. In fleeing, the prey can move directly away and maximize its distance from the predator, move toward the predator to confine it to a single clashing point, or dodge sideways to evade the attack. Prey can also run in a straight path that is efficient against slow or distant predators, or in a zigzag path that is efficient when a raptor is close or fast. In all, freezing and fleeing constitute together a complex and flexible defensive response, and are probably controlled by different motor systems that are inter-connected to allow fast switching between these behaviors, as required for an effective and versatile response.