Page "Antipredator adaptation" Paragraph 15

Many animals have highly developed senses of sight, smell, and hearing so that they can detect danger and escape.

By frequently scanning and monitoring their surroundings, especially when in the open, prey can avoid attack by hoping to see a predator before it reaches the ' critical distance ' for an attack.

This is a standard defense mechanism for animals in open grasslands and prairies.

It is also common for arboreal animals to scan both the ground around them for terrestrial predators, and the sky for aerial predators.

Smaller animals may not venture too far from cover in burrows or the undergrowth, where they can quickly hide when danger approaches.

Flight is of huge importance in the avoidance of predators in those species that possess it.