The Novel Object Recognition task (NOR) is widely used for the study of memory in vertebrates and has been proposed as a solid candidate for evaluating memory in different taxonomic groups, allowing similar and comparable evaluations between them. Although, in cephalopods, several research reports could indicate that they recognize objects in their environment, so far, it has not been evaluated as an experimental paradigm, which allows evaluating different phases of memory. In this study, we show that Octopus maya can differentiate between a new object and a known one, with high accuracy. We observed that to achieve object recognition, octopuses use vision and touch exploration in new objects, while familiar objects only need to be explored in a tactile way. To our knowledge, this is the first time showing an invertebrate performing the NOR task, in a similar way to how it is performed in vertebrates. These results raise the opportunity to use a simple, fast and widely used task in other taxonomic groups, to assess memory in octopuses.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.