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Exclusion in the field: wild brown skuas find hidden food in the absence of visual information. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:867-876. [PMID: 33594576 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01486-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Inferential reasoning by exclusion allows responding adaptively to various environmental stimuli when confronted with inconsistent or partial information. In the experimental context, this mechanism involves selecting correctly between an empty option and a potentially rewarded one. Recently, the increasing reports of this capacity in phylogenetically distant species have led to the assumption that reasoning by exclusion is the result of convergent evolution. Within one largely unstudied avian order, i.e. the Charadriiformes, brown skuas (Catharacta antarctica ssp lonnbergi) are highly flexible and opportunistic predators. Behavioural flexibility, along with specific aspects of skuas' feeding ecology, may act as influencing factors in their ability to show exclusion performance. Our study aims to test whether skuas are able to choose by exclusion in a visual two-way object-choice task. Twenty-six wild birds were presented with two opaque cups, one covering a food reward. Three conditions were used: 'full information' (showing the content of both cups), 'exclusion' (showing the content of the empty cup), and 'control' (not showing any content). Skuas preferentially selected the rewarded cup in the full information and exclusion condition. The use of olfactory cues was excluded by results in the control condition. Our study opens new field investigations for testing further the cognition of this predatory seabird.
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Caicoya AL, Colell M, Holland R, Ensenyat C, Amici F. Giraffes go for more: a quantity discrimination study in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). Anim Cogn 2020; 24:483-495. [PMID: 33128196 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01442-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Many species, including humans, rely on an ability to differentiate between quantities to make decisions about social relationships, territories, and food. This study is the first to investigate whether giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are able to select the larger of two sets of quantities in different conditions, and how size and density affect these decisions. In Task 1, we presented five captive giraffes with two sets containing a different quantity of identical foods items. In Tasks 2 and 3, we also modified the size and density of the food reward distribution. The results showed that giraffes (i) can successfully make quantity judgments following Weber's law, (ii) can reliably rely on size to maximize their food income, and (iii) are more successful when comparing sparser than denser distributions. More studies on different taxa are needed to understand whether specific selective pressures have favored the evolution of these skills in certain taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro L Caicoya
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Montserrat Colell
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Federica Amici
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology", Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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DiPaola JD, Yindee M, Plotnik JM. Investigating the use of sensory information to detect and track prey by the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) with conservation in mind. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9787. [PMID: 32555311 PMCID: PMC7300028 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65898-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pangolins are of conservation concern as one of the most heavily poached, yet least understood mammals. The Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) in particular is a critically endangered species. Here, we investigate the behaviour of these pangolins, for the first time, using a battery of cognitive tasks based on a manipulation of available sensory information. In an object-choice task in which only one of two containers was baited with food, the pangolins were able to find the food with olfactory information alone (N = 2), but not with visual or acoustic information alone (N = 1). The single subject tested on all three domains was further tested on how he used smell to find food by providing him with an opportunity to find it from a controlled distance or by using scent trails as a guide. The results suggest that our subject may have the capacity to exploit scent trails left by prey which can be tracked to a final source, though we found no evidence to suggest that he had the ability to initiate hunts based on distant prey odors. Despite the small sample size, this is the first controlled experiment to investigate pangolin foraging behaviour and cognition, which may have implications for the future protection of pangolin habitat based on the location of prey species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D DiPaola
- Animal Behavior and Conservation Program, Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, Room 611N, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Marnoch Yindee
- Livestock and Wildlife Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, 199 Moo 9, Highway No. 323, Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi, 71150, Thailand.,Akkharatchakumari Veterinary College, Walailak University, 222 Thaiburi, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80161, Thailand
| | - Joshua M Plotnik
- Animal Behavior and Conservation Program, Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, Room 611N, New York, NY, 10065, USA. .,Psychology Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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Boulbria G, Normand V, Leblanc-Maridor M, Belloc C, Berton P, Bouchet F, Lebret A. Feasibility of pooled oral fluid collection from pre-weaning piglets using cotton ropes. Vet Anim Sci 2020; 9:100099. [PMID: 32734109 PMCID: PMC7386738 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2020.100099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Collection of pooled oral fluid (OF) by allowing pigs to chew on a cotton rope is an alternative to blood sampling. However, little is known about the applicability of this method to suckling piglets. The objectives of the present study were to describe the spontaneous interaction of suckling piglets with a rope and to investigate the influence of a rope pre-exposure on the success rate of sampling. We studied the interaction dynamics of 21 and 28 days-old suckling piglets with a cotton rope presented for 30 min. Ropes were manually wrung out inside plastic bags to release the oral fluid. A total of 49 litters were included. Percentages of success of pooled OF collection for 28-day-old, 21-day-old and 21-day-old pre-exposed litters were 82%, 62% and 100%, respectively. The mean volume collected did not differ between groups. Without pre-exposure, 84.7% and 95% of piglets interacted spontaneously with the rope at 21 and 28 days of age, respectively. The latency between rope presentation and interaction was highly variable between piglets within litters: from < 10 s to 30 min. Among piglets having interacted with the rope, the interaction lasted for at least 60 s for 90% and 91.4% of 21 and 28-day-old piglets, respectively. Pooled OF collection is achievable prior to weaning in piglets of at least 21 days of age. Pooled OF sampling is representative at litter level if collection is successful. In order to improve the success rate of collection, pre-exposing the piglets with a rope one day prior to sampling is effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwenaël Boulbria
- Porc.Spective Swine Vet Practice, ZA de Gohélève, 56920 Noyal-Pontivy, France
| | - Valérie Normand
- Porc.Spective Swine Vet Practice, ZA de Gohélève, 56920 Noyal-Pontivy, France
| | | | - Catherine Belloc
- BIOEPAR, INRA, Oniris, Université Bretagne Loire, 44307 Nantes, France
| | - Pauline Berton
- Porc.Spective Swine Vet Practice, ZA de Gohélève, 56920 Noyal-Pontivy, France
| | - Franck Bouchet
- Porc.Spective Swine Vet Practice, ZA de Gohélève, 56920 Noyal-Pontivy, France
| | - Arnaud Lebret
- Porc.Spective Swine Vet Practice, ZA de Gohélève, 56920 Noyal-Pontivy, France
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Nawroth C, Langbein J, Coulon M, Gabor V, Oesterwind S, Benz-Schwarzburg J, von Borell E. Farm Animal Cognition-Linking Behavior, Welfare and Ethics. Front Vet Sci 2019; 6:24. [PMID: 30838218 PMCID: PMC6383588 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Farm animal welfare is a major concern for society and food production. To more accurately evaluate animal farming in general and to avoid exposing farm animals to poor welfare situations, it is necessary to understand not only their behavioral but also their cognitive needs and capacities. Thus, general knowledge of how farm animals perceive and interact with their environment is of major importance for a range of stakeholders, from citizens to politicians to cognitive ethologists to philosophers. This review aims to outline the current state of farm animal cognition research and focuses on ungulate livestock species, such as cattle, horses, pigs and small ruminants, and reflects upon a defined set of cognitive capacities (physical cognition: categorization, numerical ability, object permanence, reasoning, tool use; social cognition: individual discrimination and recognition, communication with humans, social learning, attribution of attention, prosociality, fairness). We identify a lack of information on certain aspects of physico-cognitive capacities in most farm animal species, such as numerosity discrimination and object permanence. This leads to further questions on how livestock comprehend their physical environment and understand causal relationships. Increasing our knowledge in this area will facilitate efforts to adjust husbandry systems and enrichment items to meet the needs and preferences of farm animals. Research in the socio-cognitive domain indicates that ungulate livestock possess sophisticated mental capacities, such as the discrimination between, and recognition of, conspecifics as well as human handlers using multiple modalities. Livestock also react to very subtle behavioral cues of conspecifics and humans. These socio-cognitive capacities can impact human-animal interactions during management practices and introduce ethical considerations on how to treat livestock in general. We emphasize the importance of gaining a better understanding of how livestock species interact with their physical and social environments, as this information can improve housing and management conditions and can be used to evaluate the use and treatment of animals during production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Nawroth
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, Agroscope Tänikon, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | | | - Vivian Gabor
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Susann Oesterwind
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Judith Benz-Schwarzburg
- Unit for Ethics and Human-Animal Studies, Messerli Research Institute, Vetmeduni Vienna, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eberhard von Borell
- Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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Bensoussan S, Tigeot R, Lemasson A, Meunier-Salaün MC, Tallet C. Domestic piglets (Sus scrofa domestica) are attentive to human voice and able to discriminate some prosodic features. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Bensoussan S, Cornil M, Meunier-Salaün MC, Tallet C. Piglets Learn to Use Combined Human-Given Visual and Auditory Signals to Find a Hidden Reward in an Object Choice Task. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164988. [PMID: 27792731 PMCID: PMC5085045 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Although animals rarely use only one sense to communicate, few studies have investigated the use of combinations of different signals between animals and humans. This study assessed for the first time the spontaneous reactions of piglets to human pointing gestures and voice in an object-choice task with a reward. Piglets (Sus scrofa domestica) mainly use auditory signals–individually or in combination with other signals—to communicate with their conspecifics. Their wide hearing range (42 Hz to 40.5 kHz) fits the range of human vocalisations (40 Hz to 1.5 kHz), which may induce sensitivity to the human voice. However, only their ability to use visual signals from humans, especially pointing gestures, has been assessed to date. The current study investigated the effects of signal type (visual, auditory and combined visual and auditory) and piglet experience on the piglets’ ability to locate a hidden food reward over successive tests. Piglets did not find the hidden reward at first presentation, regardless of the signal type given. However, they subsequently learned to use a combination of auditory and visual signals (human voice and static or dynamic pointing gestures) to successfully locate the reward in later tests. This learning process may result either from repeated presentations of the combination of static gestures and auditory signals over successive tests, or from transitioning from static to dynamic pointing gestures, again over successive tests. Furthermore, piglets increased their chance of locating the reward either if they did not go straight to a bowl after entering the test area or if they stared at the experimenter before visiting it. Piglets were not able to use the voice direction alone, indicating that a combination of signals (pointing and voice direction) is necessary. Improving our communication with animals requires adapting to their individual sensitivity to human-given signals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maude Cornil
- PEGASE, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Saint-Gilles, France
| | | | - Céline Tallet
- PEGASE, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Saint-Gilles, France
- * E-mail:
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Samson J, Manser MB. Are Cape Ground Squirrels (Xerus inauris) Sensitive to Variation in the Pay-offs from Their Caches? Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Samson
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
| | - Marta B. Manser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
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