User:Philcha/Sandbox/Artifical lure

An artificial lure is a tool used by humans to deceive animals into behaving as humans wish, and is used in various sports and in animal behaviour studies.

Sport
A fishing lure uses movement, colour and vibration to attract a fish and cause the fish to bite the hook concealed in the lure. In the third century CE a Roman, Claudius Aelianus, wrote of fly fishing. He made lures of feathers, lead, bronze, and wild boar's bristles, and used horsehair and twisted flax to make his fishing line.

A falconer's lure is a pair of bird wings attached to an object, usually baited with a small piece of steak, which is swung round and round in a cord, for the falcon to chase during training.

In lure coursing, dogs chase an artificial lure across a field, following a pattern that is meant to simulate coursing of live prey. Greyhound racing uses a simulated hare to encourage the dogs to run at top speed for the length of the designated course.

Research into animal behaviour
Jumping spiders (family Salticidae) have excellent vision and complex behaviour, which they use in hunting and mating. Lures have been use to research what aspects of a prey or mate attract the spider's attention, and to see whether, in various salticid species, responses are based only on vision or also on scent.

A field study in 1994 compared the attractiveness to stoats (Mustela erminea) and ferrets (M. furo) of traps set with either a synthetic scent lure or with fresh food bait. One synthetic scent lure was attractive as natural bait to ferrets but less attractive to stoats, while another synthetic was less attractive than natural bait for both animals.