By Michelle van der Spuy
Among sheep, alpacas, and goats, goats appear to have the best spatial memory and problem-solving ability.
Megan Quail, a PhD candidate at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences in Wales, designed two studies with simple tests to determine how goats, sheep, and alpacas remember and make sense of the world around them.
She found that these animals’ cognitive abilities are underestimated and that there are essential differences between the three species. Her study findings were published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Her first test focused on spatial memory, which refers to remembering the locations of essential resources, such as food, water, or shelter. Each animal had to find food hidden in buckets within a small arena to test this. Once they identified where the food was, the buckets were moved, and the animals were tested again to measure how long it took them to find the buckets.
Goats found food faster than the other animals and made fewer errors during their search. Sheep also performed well but made more mistakes. Alpacas, however, struggled to complete the task within the time limit.
Quail believes that goats’ stronger spatial memory stems from their adaptation to grazing over extensive, rocky areas, necessitating finding food efficiently and remembering its location.
The next test focused on more complex cognitive skills, such as object permanence, which helps animals understand a changing environment.
For this experiment, food was placed under a cup. Additional cups were added, and their positions were changed, requiring the animals to remember under which cup the food was hidden. The goats once again performed this task better than the sheep and alpacas.
Quail says understanding how animals’ cognitive skills work can help design better environments for them and improve their well-being. It can also better predict their behaviour or adaptation to a new environment.
For example, animals with better spatial memory may need more help finding their way through a field or paddock. On the other hand, animals with better cognitive skills benefit from a more stimulating environment in which they can explore and solve problems.
Source: theconversation.com
Also read:
