Figure 4.

Conceptual representation of the proposed stepwise visual template matching process for prey detection. (a) An initial search image template in which two of the three potential prey characteristics (e.g. size or shape) are within the predator’s template but one is not. This prey detection process is represented by data in figure 1a–d . (b) Shows a modified search image template indicated by the cross-hatched ellipse within the initial search image template indicated by the dashed ellipse. This prey detection process is represented by the data in figure 1e,f . (c) Illustrates the use of multiple neural prey templates by predators, with at least one retained in memory, such that fish deprived of small prey retain this search image template even after repeated exposure to only large prey, as in figure 2.