Book contents
- Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition
- Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction. The Concept of Umwelt in Experimental Animal Cognition
- 1 Ants – Individual and Social Cognition
- 2 Bats – Using Sound to Reveal Cognition
- 3 Bees – The Experimental Umwelt of Honeybees
- 4 Carib Grackles – Field and Lab Work on a Tame, Opportunistic Island Icterid
- 5 Chicken – Cognition in the Poultry Yard
- 6 Chimpanzees – Investigating Cognition in the Wild
- 7 Dolphins and Whales – Taking Cognitive Research Out of the Tanks and into the Wild
- 8 Elephants – Studying Cognition in the African Savannah
- 9 Fish – How to Ask Them the Right Questions
- 10 Hermit Crabs – Information Gathering by the Hermit Crab, Pagurus bernhardus
- 11 Hyenas – Testing Cognition in the Umwelt of the Spotted Hyena
- 12 Lizards – Measuring Cognition: Practical Challenges and the Influence of Ecology and Social Behaviour
- 13 Meerkats – Identifying Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Meerkat Coordination and Communication: Experimental Designs in Their Natural Habitat
- 14 Octopuses – Mind in the Waters
- 15 Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) – Cognitive and Communicative Abilities
- 16 Sharks – Elasmobranch Cognition
- 17 Spiders – Hints for Testing Cognition and Learning in Jumping Spiders
- 18 Tortoises – Cold-Blooded Cognition: How to Get a Tortoise Out of Its Shell
- Epilogue
- Index
- References
18 - Tortoises – Cold-Blooded Cognition: How to Get a Tortoise Out of Its Shell
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 July 2018
Book contents
- Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition
- Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction. The Concept of Umwelt in Experimental Animal Cognition
- 1 Ants – Individual and Social Cognition
- 2 Bats – Using Sound to Reveal Cognition
- 3 Bees – The Experimental Umwelt of Honeybees
- 4 Carib Grackles – Field and Lab Work on a Tame, Opportunistic Island Icterid
- 5 Chicken – Cognition in the Poultry Yard
- 6 Chimpanzees – Investigating Cognition in the Wild
- 7 Dolphins and Whales – Taking Cognitive Research Out of the Tanks and into the Wild
- 8 Elephants – Studying Cognition in the African Savannah
- 9 Fish – How to Ask Them the Right Questions
- 10 Hermit Crabs – Information Gathering by the Hermit Crab, Pagurus bernhardus
- 11 Hyenas – Testing Cognition in the Umwelt of the Spotted Hyena
- 12 Lizards – Measuring Cognition: Practical Challenges and the Influence of Ecology and Social Behaviour
- 13 Meerkats – Identifying Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Meerkat Coordination and Communication: Experimental Designs in Their Natural Habitat
- 14 Octopuses – Mind in the Waters
- 15 Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) – Cognitive and Communicative Abilities
- 16 Sharks – Elasmobranch Cognition
- 17 Spiders – Hints for Testing Cognition and Learning in Jumping Spiders
- 18 Tortoises – Cold-Blooded Cognition: How to Get a Tortoise Out of Its Shell
- Epilogue
- Index
- References
Summary
Chelonia (turtles, terrapins and tortoises) have traditionally been considered to be “sluggish and unintelligent creatures” (Yerkes 1901, p. 520) and have largely been ignored in the study of animal cognition. However, more recent research has revealed an impressive suite of cognitive abilities in this group. But how do you ask a tortoise what it knows? We will describe the approaches we have thus far taken in the study of cognition in our model species, the red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) – including work on visual cognition, spatial cognition, social learning and memory –, examining pros and cons. This chapter will subsequently discuss general issues related to working with chelonia, such as temperature and motivation: testing a tropical tortoise in a cold room, for instance, fundamentally impacts the ability of the tortoise to demonstrate its cognitive abilities. Chelonia are not necessarily motivated by the same things as mammals and different species may be motivated by different rewards, necessitating a thorough understanding of the species before embarking on experiments. We finish with an overview of techniques that we have used for investigating cognition in this species.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal CognitionA Comparative Guide, pp. 401 - 419Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2018
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