Social learning in a non-social reptile (Geochelone carbonaria).
The ability to learn from the actions of another is adaptive, as it is a shortcut for acquiring new information. However, the evolutionary origins of this trait are still unclear. There is evidence that group-living mammals, birds, fishes and insects can learn through observation, but this has never been investigated in reptiles. Here, we show that the non-social red-footed tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria) can learn from the actions of a conspecific in a detour task; non-observer animals (without a conspecific demonstrator) failed. This result provides the first evidence that a non-social species can use social cues to solve a task that it cannot solve through individual learning, challenging the idea that social learning is an adaptation for social living.
Wilkinson
Anna
A
Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, Vienna 1090, Austria. anna.wilkinson@univie.ac.at
Kuenstner
Karin
K
Mueller
Julia
J
Huber
Ludwig
L
D000818:Animals; D007858:Learning; D014426:Turtles / Q000502:physiology*