A team of ethologists from Lincoln universities in the United Kingdom and Budapest has shown that reptiles can learn certain skills by imitating their counterparts, a behavior that, until now, was believed exclusive to humans and some other primates, such as chimpanzees. To determine this, the scientists had to distinguish between true imitation and emulation. In the first, the animal understands the intentions of the model it copies, while this does not happen in the second phenomenon, something that happens, for example, when a parrot recites the same words that a person pronounces.
The scientists designed an experiment in which several bearded dragons, Pogona vitticeps , native to Australia, had to open a door by shaking their heads to gain access to a conduit. The researchers divided them into two groups: in one, the lizards could observe how another of them, previously trained, carried out the operation, for which he was rewarded with food; the members of the other would not see it. All the members of the first one faithfully copied the technique used by their guide, while those of the second one could not solve the problem.
According to the expert in life sciences Anna Wilkinson, who has coordinated this trial, published in the journal Animal Cognition , reptiles and mammals have evolved from a common ancestor, so the study of the similarities and differences between the two it is key to understanding how our cognitive abilities have been shaped.
