Pronking (or Stotting) is a common defensive signal amongst deer and some other quadruped prey mammals.
From the book, Wild Signs and Star Paths (Published as The Nature Instinct in North America):
Boing, boing, boing. The roe disappeared between the hazel trees and its two messages were clear.
There are a few signs in nature that feel counterintuitive until we grow used to them. Two of the ones we are most likely to see have overlapping aims. The first is used by prey to tell predators that they have been seen and the second is to make attack less attractive.
Predators know that a successful hunt is only likely if they manage to close within a certain distance before their target detects them. If a prey animal does detect a predator at a safe distance then it may send a sign to that predator that the element of surprise is gone and a chase would be a waste of effort for both sides. Some squirrels and deer flag their tails and lizards wag them as a clear sign to any sharp-toothed creature that they have been spotted.
Occasionally these signs are given when there is a strong suspicion of a predator in the area, but before one has actually been spotted. We are not the only ones reading signs and prey are constantly monitoring their environment for the telltale clues that there may be trouble ahead, like mammals stampeding, cracking sticks or birds taking off with flight calls. But the risk must be sensed to be very real otherwise this sign is counterproductive – revealing their whereabouts to predators that were otherwise oblivious.
The second of these signs has a similar aim – to make a lethal chase less likely – but through a slightly different mechanism. Most predators fail in most of their hunts, they pull out after an energy-sapping race that they have lost. They do not need to win many of these races, one good meal a day or, in the case of some of the larger cats, nearer a week, may be enough. But nobody likes to work hard for nothing and prey have evolved a way of reminding predators of this. It is called a ‘pursuit-deterrance signal’.
When skylarks are being pursued by merlins, they have to work hard as they climb to escape, but they have an elegant way of telling their pursuer that there’s lots more gas in the tank: they sing a boisterous song. Ungulates like deer and gazelle have a cheeky habit of reminding predators that they are not just lithe, but fit and swift too and that a chase is not going to end well for them. On detecting the predator they jump in the air using all four legs, a strange manoeuvre called, ‘stotting’, or sometimes, ‘pronking’. The sarcastic subtext to this sign is, ‘I’m so full of energy, look I literally can’t stand still, I’ve got to bounce up and down, oh go on, please chase me, I’m just itching to outrun you, it will be hilarious!’
A less common and totally counterintuitive strategy used by prey that have detected a predator is to approach them. Fish and gazelles are both known to move towards predators, inspect them and then return to their group. The exact logic behind this strategy is not known, it may help by teaching the group more about the predators location and intent, or it may be more selfish; studies have shown that the gazelle that does the inspecting is less likely to be attacked by a cheetah, so it could be a form of pursuit deterrence.
I knew the second I saw the bouncing roe between the hazel trees what it was telling me, ‘I’ve seen you and you won’t catch me’.
