When Scott Creel and colleagues studied elk (Cervus canadensis) behavior in Montana, they found that
elk tended to form larger groups when foraging in the open far away from forest cover (Creel et al. 2005,
Creel and Christianson 2008). Why might this result lead us to interpret large group formation by elk as an
antipredatorresponse? Creel and company noted that the elk aggregated only on days when wolves
(Canis lupus) were absent. In the presence of wolves, elk remained in smaller herds. What is the
significance of these observations for the antipredator hypothesis about the tendency of elk to group
together under some conditions? In scientific terms, which label should be given to these observations:
hypothesis, prediction, test data, or scientific conclusion? What is the significance of this work for studies
of puddling by butterflies?
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