Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay gecko
Abstract Social animals need to keep track of other individuals in their group to be able to adjust their behaviour accordingly and facilitate group cohesion. This recognition ability varies across species and is influenced by cognitive capacities such as learning and memory. In reptiles, particular...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2024-08-01
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| Series: | Animal Cognition |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01896-0 |
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| author | Marie-Ornélia Verger Maëlle Devillebichot Eva Ringler Birgit Szabo |
| author_facet | Marie-Ornélia Verger Maëlle Devillebichot Eva Ringler Birgit Szabo |
| author_sort | Marie-Ornélia Verger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Social animals need to keep track of other individuals in their group to be able to adjust their behaviour accordingly and facilitate group cohesion. This recognition ability varies across species and is influenced by cognitive capacities such as learning and memory. In reptiles, particularly Squamates (lizards, snakes, and worm lizards), chemical communication is pivotal for territoriality, reproduction, and other social interactions. However, the cognitive processes underlying these social interactions remain understudied. In our study, we examined the ability of male and female Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko) to chemically differentiate familiar and unfamiliar mating partners. Our findings suggest that both sexes can make this distinction, with males responding more to the odour of a familiar mate, and females responding more to unfamiliar mates. The lizards maintained their discriminatory abilities for two to three weeks but not up to six weeks after separation. This research highlights the efficacy of using odours as social stimuli for investigating social cognition in lizards, a promising avenue to better understand social cognition in these animals. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-958fc0266c0242dfb70fb2b4cf332564 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1435-9456 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-08-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Cognition |
| spelling | doaj-art-958fc0266c0242dfb70fb2b4cf3325642025-01-26T12:44:16ZengSpringerAnimal Cognition1435-94562024-08-0127111410.1007/s10071-024-01896-0Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay geckoMarie-Ornélia Verger0Maëlle Devillebichot1Eva Ringler2Birgit Szabo3University Sorbonne Paris NordDepartment of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping UniversityDivision of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of BernDivision of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of BernAbstract Social animals need to keep track of other individuals in their group to be able to adjust their behaviour accordingly and facilitate group cohesion. This recognition ability varies across species and is influenced by cognitive capacities such as learning and memory. In reptiles, particularly Squamates (lizards, snakes, and worm lizards), chemical communication is pivotal for territoriality, reproduction, and other social interactions. However, the cognitive processes underlying these social interactions remain understudied. In our study, we examined the ability of male and female Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko) to chemically differentiate familiar and unfamiliar mating partners. Our findings suggest that both sexes can make this distinction, with males responding more to the odour of a familiar mate, and females responding more to unfamiliar mates. The lizards maintained their discriminatory abilities for two to three weeks but not up to six weeks after separation. This research highlights the efficacy of using odours as social stimuli for investigating social cognition in lizards, a promising avenue to better understand social cognition in these animals.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01896-0Chemical communicationMate choiceRecognitionSquamataTongue flickVomerolfaction |
| spellingShingle | Marie-Ornélia Verger Maëlle Devillebichot Eva Ringler Birgit Szabo Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay gecko Animal Cognition Chemical communication Mate choice Recognition Squamata Tongue flick Vomerolfaction |
| title | Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay gecko |
| title_full | Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay gecko |
| title_fullStr | Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay gecko |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay gecko |
| title_short | Sex-specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the Tokay gecko |
| title_sort | sex specific discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar mates in the tokay gecko |
| topic | Chemical communication Mate choice Recognition Squamata Tongue flick Vomerolfaction |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01896-0 |
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