| Title |
Lions (Panthera leo) solve, learn, and remember a novel resource acquisition problem
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Animal Cognition, June 2016
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s10071-016-1009-y |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Natalia Borrego, Brian Dowling |
| Abstract |
The social intelligence hypothesis proposes that the challenges of complex social life bolster the evolution of intelligence, and accordingly, advanced cognition has convergently evolved in several social lineages. Lions (Panthera leo) offer an ideal model system for cognitive research in a highly social species with an egalitarian social structure. We investigated cognition in lions using a novel resource task: the suspended puzzle box. The task required lions (n = 12) to solve a novel problem, learn the techniques used to solve the problem, and remember techniques for use in future trials. The majority of lions demonstrated novel problem-solving and learning; lions (11/12) solved the task, repeated success in multiple trials, and significantly reduced the latency to success across trials. Lions also demonstrated cognitive abilities associated with memory and solved the task after up to a 7-month testing interval. We also observed limited evidence for social facilitation of the task solution. Four of five initially unsuccessful lions achieved success after being partnered with a successful lion. Overall, our results support the presence of cognition associated with novel problem-solving, learning, and memory in lions. To date, our study is only the second experimental investigation of cognition in lions and further supports expanding cognitive research to lions. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 19 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3 | 16% |
| United Kingdom | 2 | 11% |
| Canada | 2 | 11% |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 5% |
| Spain | 1 | 5% |
| Germany | 1 | 5% |
| Unknown | 9 | 47% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 13 | 68% |
| Scientists | 3 | 16% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 3 | 16% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 71 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| France | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 70 | 99% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 17 | 24% |
| Student > Bachelor | 11 | 15% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 10 | 14% |
| Researcher | 9 | 13% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 2 | 3% |
| Other | 5 | 7% |
| Unknown | 17 | 24% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 27 | 38% |
| Psychology | 7 | 10% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 5 | 7% |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 4% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 4% |
| Other | 7 | 10% |
| Unknown | 19 | 27% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 12. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 06 May 2021.
All research outputs
#2,691,525
of 22,877,793 outputs
Outputs from Animal Cognition
#538
of 1,457 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#46,775
of 326,206 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Animal Cognition
#13
of 30 outputs
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