Animal Cognition最新文献

Leaning left: how turn bias and habitat complexity shape spatial cognition in a coral-reef fish 向左倾斜：转弯偏差和栖息地复杂性如何塑造珊瑚礁鱼类的空间认知

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-10-11 Epub Date: 2026-10-15 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02116-7

Helen von Drenkmann, Annabell Klinke, Culum Brown

{"title":"Leaning left: how turn bias and habitat complexity shape spatial cognition in a coral-reef fish","authors":"Helen von Drenkmann, Annabell Klinke, Culum Brown","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02116-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02116-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In coral reef ecosystems, anthropogenic change is rapidly altering habitat structure, but the consequences for fish cognition remain poorly understood. We tested whether structural habitat complexity influences spatial learning and strategy use in the humbug damselfish (<i>Dascyllus aruanus</i>). Juveniles were reared in aquaria containing either high- or low-complexity coral structures and trained in a T-maze task, requiring the use of egocentric (turn-based) and/or allocentric (landmark-based) strategies to locate a reward. Performance was assessed using the number of trials to reach a learning criterion and latency to make correct decisions. Probe trials with conflicting cues assessed navigation strategies. Turn direction was the strongest predictor of performance. Fish trained to turn left reached criterion in fewer trials and consistently relied on egocentric strategies, indicative of a lateralisation bias. In contrast, right-turning fish increasingly relied on landmark cues during probe trials and made faster decisions when doing so, suggesting that allocentric strategies reduced the cost of acting against intrinsic turn biases. Contrary to our expectation, environmental complexity did not affect the number of trials required to reach criterion. However, high-complexity fish located the reward faster during early training and showed longer decision latencies during probe trials, suggesting greater sensitivity to landmark information when cues conflicted. Our results suggest that spatial task performance may be shaped more by turn biases and strategy use than by environmental complexity alone, highlighting the importance of considering intrinsic behavioural constraints when interpreting spatial cognition.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10071-026-02116-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Behavioral characterization of dynamic facial expression perception in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) using naturalistic and synthetic stimuli 自然和合成刺激下恒河猴动态面部表情感知的行为特征

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-10-05 Epub Date: 2026-10-15 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02109-6

Ramona Siebert, Nick Taubert, Martin A. Giese, Peter Thier

{"title":"Behavioral characterization of dynamic facial expression perception in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) using naturalistic and synthetic stimuli","authors":"Ramona Siebert, Nick Taubert, Martin A. Giese, Peter Thier","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02109-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02109-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Facial displays are an important channel of communication for primates, yet it remains unclear based on which criteria monkeys evaluate facial expressions. We trained two rhesus macaques to categorize videos of four facial expression types (neutral, lip-smacking, silent bared-teeth (SBT) and open-mouth threat displays) and then tested generalization to novel individuals and avatars while measuring pupillary responses. The animals were able to categorize facial expressions and generalized their classifications to novel, untrained videos, although performance was not perfect. Misclassifications were not driven solely by visual similarity between expression categories, as demonstrated by a novel automated approach integrating deep learning-based motion tracking with the Macaque Facial Action Coding System to enable objective quantification of facial action units. Instead, open-mouth threats were readily categorized correctly and distinguished from lip-smacking, while also eliciting the strongest arousal responses. By contrast, categorization of SBT displays varied substantially across stimulus identities, influenced by body weight, gaze direction, and coordinated movements of eyebrows and ears. Morphed avatar expressions were categorized according to expression component intensity, demonstrating graded perception. Avatar manipulations revealed that categorization was robust against lack of coherent motion and lack of facial realism beyond a basic level of texture. However, human facial expressions elicited no systematic categorizations or differential arousal. Our findings indicate that conspecific facial expressions were perceived as functionally meaningful, context-dependent social signals shaped by all components of facial behavior and signaler characteristics, rather than fixed, mouth movement-defined categories.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10071-026-02109-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Elephant gestural communication during agonistic interactions: repertoire, intentionality, and goals 大象的手势交流在激烈的相互作用：剧目，意向性和目标。

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-09-25 Epub Date: 2026-09-28 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02108-7

Vesta Eleuteri, Anna Letrari, Lucy Bates, Catherine Hobaiter, Angela Stoeger

{"title":"Elephant gestural communication during agonistic interactions: repertoire, intentionality, and goals","authors":"Vesta Eleuteri, Anna Letrari, Lucy Bates, Catherine Hobaiter, Angela Stoeger","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02108-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02108-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Goal-directed intentionality is the ability to communicate with the intention of eliciting reactions from recipients. Long considered uniquely human, today it has been reported in the signalling of several species, most notably in the large, flexible gestural repertoires of non-human apes. Semi-captive elephants have also shown goal-directed intentionality when gesturing to humans. However, whether wild elephants gesture intentionally to conspecifics has not been systematically explored. Elephants frequently engage in agonistic interactions, in which goal-directed intentional communication may help resolve conflict and prevent escalation. Here, we systematically investigated intentional gesturing in wild African savannah elephants by examining agonistic interactions in the Addo and Marakele populations in South Africa. Elephants used 41 gesture types (derived from 32 gesture actions) to communicate two main goals: “Move away” and “Stop behaviour”. The gesture types used by the populations largely overlapped, suggesting a shared context-specific repertoire for agonistic interactions. However, the populations differed in the gesture types they used most frequently and in the resources they competed over (water in Addo, reeds in Marakele). Our study supports the convergent evolution of extensive and flexible intentional gestural communication in elephants, providing insights into the drivers of elephant agonistic behaviour and highlighting potential conservation implications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13619774/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149073424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

When orcas hit the rudder: what Iberian orca–boat interactions reveal about action explanations in animal cognition 当逆戟鲸撞舵：伊比利亚逆戟鲸与船的互动揭示了动物认知中的行为解释。

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-09-08 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02104-x

Christian Frings

引用次数: 0

Contagious yawning is stronger in wolves than in dog-admixed wolves 狼的传染性哈欠比狗混合的狼强

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-08-19 Epub Date: 2026-08-22 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02086-w

Federica Amici, Katja Liebal, Linda Oña, Mattia Iacuzzi, Tina Altdörfer, Arne Gretschzel, George Kamanga, Manon Delaunay, Paolo Ciucci

{"title":"Contagious yawning is stronger in wolves than in dog-admixed wolves","authors":"Federica Amici, Katja Liebal, Linda Oña, Mattia Iacuzzi, Tina Altdörfer, Arne Gretschzel, George Kamanga, Manon Delaunay, Paolo Ciucci","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02086-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02086-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Behavioural contagion occurs when the behaviour of one individual elicits the same behaviour in another individual observing the event, and it is considered one of the fundamental mechanisms promoting group coordination and cohesion in social species, including humans. Empirical research on behavioural contagion has focused primarily on yawning and has shown evidence of it in several animal species. Here, we studied behavioural contagion in 2 groups of captive wolves (N = 20) and 3 groups of captive dog-admixed wolves (N = 13). We conducted behavioural observations of naturally occurring yawning events and monitored the yawning behaviour of the other group members in the two minutes following each event. Our results showed that, in both admixed and non-admixed wolves, individuals who had the opportunity to observe the initial yawn were significantly more likely to yawn within the subsequent two minutes than those who had not observed the event. Crucially, this effect was stronger in non-admixed than in admixed wolves. Furthermore, individuals that were more socially integrated were more likely to elicit behavioural contagion in both admixed and non-admixed wolves. In contrast, neither individual rank nor dyadic relationship quality between the yawner and the observer mediated the probability of contagion. By revealing variation in behavioural contagion patterns between admixed and non-admixed wolves, this study provides insights into how introgressive hybridization with domestic species may influence mechanisms underlying social coordination and pack cohesion in wolves.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10071-026-02086-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Effects of sibling competition and physiological and behavioural differences on problem-solving of wild cavies (Cavia aperea) 兄弟姐妹竞争和生理和行为差异对野生洞穴（Cavia aperea）问题解决的影响。

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-08-11 Epub Date: 2026-08-13 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02094-w

Sabine Kraus, Anja Guenther

{"title":"Effects of sibling competition and physiological and behavioural differences on problem-solving of wild cavies (Cavia aperea)","authors":"Sabine Kraus, Anja Guenther","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02094-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02094-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Behavioural innovations can be crucial for animals to adjust to changing environments and to exploit novel resources. While ecological and evolutionary implications of innovativeness have been investigated intensely, the proximate mechanisms underlying this behaviour are less well understood. Intrinsic individual differences arising from differences in competitive abilities have been hypothesised to drive differences in innovation propensity (bad-competitor hypothesis). We here investigated the relationship between early-life competition among siblings as well as effects of several physiological and personality traits on innovation propensity in young wild cavies (<i>Cavia aperea</i>). Our study aimed to test whether competitive situations in early life, such as being a small sibling or being born in larger litters, enhanced innovation propensity. Furthermore, we tested if intrinsic physiological or behavioural characteristics differed between solvers and non-solvers. We found that neither size rank nor litter size influenced innovation propensity in young cavies at independence. Likewise, physiological traits such as cortisol level, heart rate, and resting metabolic rate did not differ systematically between solvers and non-solvers, although heart rate and resting metabolic rate were repeatable. However, individuals that interacted more with novel objects and innovation tasks were more likely to solve them. Our results suggest that innovation propensity is not shaped by early-life competition or physiological differences but may rather develop consistent individual differences later in life, potentially by competition for mating opportunities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10071-026-02094-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148720833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Olfactory cognition 嗅觉认知。

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-08-07 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02073-1

Jeffrey S. Katz, Lucia Lazarowski

引用次数: 0

Social isolation, rather than kinship, influences association behavior in toad tadpoles (Bufo formosus) 社会孤立，而不是亲属关系，影响结社行为的蟾蜍蝌蚪（Bufo formosus）。

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-08-06 Epub Date: 2026-08-10 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02090-0

Kazuko Hase

{"title":"Social isolation, rather than kinship, influences association behavior in toad tadpoles (Bufo formosus)","authors":"Kazuko Hase","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02090-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02090-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Experiences of social isolation alter the developing social behavior of animals. Association preference is an important behavioral tendency for amphibian larvae (tadpoles) that exhibit social aggregation as a means of predator avoidance. For tadpoles that exhibit social aggregation, the learning period during exposure to conspecifics could be crucial. This study investigated how water quality and social experience influence association preferences to unfamiliar conspecifics in <i>Bufo formosus</i> (Eastern-Japanese common toad) tadpoles. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, subject tadpoles were reared either in tap or pond water and under group or solitary conditions. Binary-choice tests were then conducted to examine whether the tadpoles preferred siblings, non-siblings, or neither (neutral zone). No significant kin-biased association was detected in any treatment. However, social experience significantly affected the proportion of time spent in neutral zone. Solitary-raised tadpoles spent the most time in the neutral zone, whereas group-raised tadpoles spent more time on the effective-stimulus sides irrespective of water quality. It suggests that social isolation in early developmental stage reduces responsiveness to conspecifics. These findings indicate that social aggregation in <i>B. formosus</i> is shaped by social experience rather than kinship and aquatic environment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10071-026-02090-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148700647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Active choice judgement bias reflects affective indicators in bonobos. 主动选择判断偏差反映了倭黑猩猩的情感指标。

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-07-19 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02084-y

Julia M Machado, Samantha J Ward, Bridget M Waller, Annika Paukner

{"title":"Active choice judgement bias reflects affective indicators in bonobos.","authors":"Julia M Machado, Samantha J Ward, Bridget M Waller, Annika Paukner","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02084-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02084-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Judgement bias tasks assess the ways in which affective states influence information processing. The Active Choice task, a subtype of judgement bias task, allows researchers to distinguish between low motivation and negative mood, making it more powerful than other paradigms. However, Active Choice tasks have never been successfully applied in a population of zoo-housed primates, nor in any population of great apes. We aimed to investigate affect-derived judgement biases in zoo-housed bonobos using a novel Active Choice paradigm. Fourteen bonobos were trained on a visual discrimination Active Choice judgement bias task, with seven animals passing criteria. Outcomes of the task were compared to four quantitative affective indicators as well as one holistic qualitative welfare indicator. A sixth variable, group size, was included in the models due to the unique fission-fusion husbandry style used at the zoo. We found that animals made more pessimistic choices as the number of test sessions they completed increased. Furthermore, animals made more pessimistic choices on days when they spent more time performing abnormal behaviors. Conversely, animals made more optimistic choices on days when they spent more time playing and on days when their social group was larger. Our results, therefore, suggest that task responses were related to changes in affective states. Moreover, Active Choice judgement bias tasks could be useful for exploring both theoretical and applied questions about mood in bonobos.</p>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148497047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Reversed sound–shape association in tortoises (Testudo marginata) 龟的反音形联想（Testudo marginata）。

IF 2.3 2区生物学

Animal Cognition Pub Date : 2026-07-14 Epub Date: 2026-10-12 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-026-02087-9

Giovanna Marliani, Gionata Stancher, Maria Loconsole

{"title":"Reversed sound–shape association in tortoises (Testudo marginata)","authors":"Giovanna Marliani, Gionata Stancher, Maria Loconsole","doi":"10.1007/s10071-026-02087-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10071-026-02087-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Crossmodal correspondences, spontaneous links between sensory modalities, are well documented in humans and other animals. The Bouba–Kiki effect, where sharp sounds typically map onto angular shapes and soft sounds onto rounded ones, possibly constitute a peculiar case of such correspondences, as it was documented in preverbal infants and non-human species. Here we test whether a spontaneous association between “Bouba” and “Kiki” sounds, and round and spiky shapes respectively, also appears in a reptile, the <i>Testudo marginata</i>. In a free-exploration task, 10 tortoises were exposed to repeated “Bouba” or “Kiki” sounds while presented with a round and a spiky 3D object. Strikingly, tortoises showed a reversed mapping compared to humans and birds: they spent longer exploring the round object during “Kiki” playbacks and the spiky object during “Bouba”. This unexpected inversion raises key questions about the origins of crossmodal cognition. We argue that the reversed pattern may reflect the interaction between an underlying sound-shape correspondence and the structure of the free-exploration task. Under this interpretation, auditory stimuli may generate expectations regarding visual shapes, whereas exploratory behaviour may promote investigation of unexpected sound-shape combinations. Alternatively, tortoises may rely on fundamentally different principles of perceptual organisation, revealing that crossmodal associations are not universally aligned across species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7879,"journal":{"name":"Animal Cognition","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13654887/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148444083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0