• Geckos know their own odor

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Mon Feb 20 21:30:30 2023
    Geckos know their own odor

    Date:
    February 20, 2023
    Source:
    University of Bern
    Summary:
    Geckos can use their tongue to differentiate their own odor from
    that of other members of their species, as researchers have shown
    in a new experimental study. The findings show that geckos are able
    to communicate socially, meaning that they are more intelligent
    than was previously assumed.


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    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Geckos can use their tongue to differentiate their own odor from that
    of other members of their species, as researchers from the University
    of Bern have shown in a new experimental study. The findings show that
    geckos are able to communicate socially, meaning that they are more
    intelligent than was previously assumed.


    ========================================================================== Self-recognition is the ability to detect stimuli which come from
    oneself. We as people, and also some animals, can identify ourselves
    visually when we look in the mirror. However, not all animals rely
    on their sense of sight, first and foremost. Geckos, and also other
    lizards and snakes, use their tongues to perceive chemicals, so-called pheromones, from other individuals. For instance, when climbing a wall,
    geckos pause every so often to dart their tongues around.

    This enables them to detect potential partners or rivals. But can geckos
    also detect their own odor and recognize themselves by smell? In a study recently published in the journal Animal Cognition, researchers at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the University of Bern focused
    on whether Tokay geckos can detect skin chemicals that they themselves
    produce, and whether they can discriminate between these chemicals and
    those of other geckos of the same sex. The experiments confirmed that
    geckos are capable of this. During the tests, the animals were more
    interested in the skin chemicals of other geckos than in their own. This
    shows that geckos use pheromones for social communication.

    Gecko and peppermint odor on cotton swabs During the experiment,
    the researchers presented the geckos with various odors on cotton
    swabs. As well as their own odor, these were odors from other geckos,
    or control odors such as water and peppermint. When they reacted, the
    geckos showed two types of behavior: on one hand, they stuck out their
    tongues in the direction of the odor on the swab and, on the other hand, towards the surrounding area, their own home enclosure. The researchers interpreted this behavior as a sign that the geckos first perceive
    the odor on the swab, and then compare it with their own odor on the
    walls of the enclosure. "The geckos have to compare more frequently
    when confronted with the odor of another gecko, compared to their own
    odor. This indicates that they know their own odor," explains Birgit
    Szabo, lead author of the study from the Division of Behavioural Ecology
    at the University of Bern's Institute of Ecology and Evolution.

    In an experiment, the team was also able to show that geckos detect and
    use the odors of their feces to distinguish themselves from others. Geckos
    also deposit pheromones on their excrement, for instance, to mark their territory. This is because, just like many mammals, geckos have preferred
    areas for defecation so that they can communicate their presence.

    More social and intelligent than we thought The findings of the study
    show that geckos can communicate socially by using chemicals from their
    skin and excrement, and that they use these chemicals to distinguish
    themselves from other geckos. "Lizards and reptiles are generally seen
    as unsocial primitive animals. We must recognize that reptiles are more
    social and intelligent than we thought," says Birgit Szabo.

    "Reptiles, and especially geckos, are ideally suitable for investigating fundamental questions about the evolution of sociality. Within geckos,
    we can find a vast range of social structures and habitats. This allows
    us to investigate the interrelationships of cognition, communication
    and social living within a small taxonomic group -- and make comparisons between these and other, more distantly related groups of animals such as mammals and birds," says Eva Ringler, professor and head of the Division
    of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Bern.

    * RELATED_TOPICS
    o Plants_&_Animals
    # Nature # Evolutionary_Biology # Dogs #
    Frogs_and_Reptiles # Biology # Ecology_Research #
    Animal_Learning_and_Intelligence # Animals
    * RELATED_TERMS
    o Gecko o Leopard_gecko o Bird_intelligence o Tongue o Octopus
    o Dolphin o Body_odor o Bonobo

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Bern. Note: Content
    may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Birgit Szabo, Eva Ringler. Geckos differentiate self from other
    using
    both skin and faecal chemicals: evidence towards
    self-recognition? Animal Cognition, 2023; DOI:
    10.1007/s10071-023-01751-8 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230220121857.htm

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