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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    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   
      
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   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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