Classification of sex-dependent specific behaviours by tri-axial acceleration in the tegu lizard Salvator merianae

Abstract

Validated patterns of behaviour detected by tri-axial acceleration in the laboratory can be used for remote measurements of free-living animals. The tegu lizard naturally occupies diverse biomes in South America and presents ecological threats in regions where it was artificially introduced. We aimed to validate the use of tri-axial acceleration to distinguish among behaviours of male and female tegus in captivity by comparing observed behaviours to recorded acceleration data. Adult animals were externally fitted with an accelerometer fixed between their scapulae to quantify anteroposterior, lateral, and dorsoventral acceleration. Video recordings of cameras positioned on the walls of the animal-holding arena documented behaviours. Behaviour patterns, such as resting, walking, and eating, were identified for both sexes, and nest building in females and courtship and copulation in males. Random Forest algorithm was used to validate the behaviour patterns from accelerometry data based on two models, random split (70 % training-30 % validation; RS) and leave-one-out (divided by individual; LOO). Although LOO showed lower accuracies than RS for all the acceleration data, nest building in females and copulation in males had high accuracies in both models. In contrast, the lowest accuracies for walking and eating indicates they may involve more inconsistent movement patterns. Comparing the results from RS and LOO, female behaviours may be more identifiable in the field using triaxial accelerometry than males. The identification of behaviours by accelerometry, especially related to reproduction, without the necessity for direct observation of the tegus would be helpful for conservation purposes, for both natural and invasive populations.