Exploratory movements of leopard geckos in visual and non-visual environments
Presentation Type
Event
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Ryan Yoder
Other Mentors
Additional Mentor: Scott Parker, Biology
Major
Biology
Minor
Chemistry
Presentation Abstract
Most animals rely on familiar visual landmarks to guide navigation, but non-visual cues can guide navigation in darkness or in unfamiliar environments. Visual and non-visual navigation in mammals has been the focus of numerous studies, and this research demonstrates that mammals establish 'home bases' to which they frequently return during exploration of a novel environment. This organization of movement suggests the animals are forming a cognitive, representation of the environment, but no studies have tested whether reptiles navigate in this manner. To gain insight into the cognitive similarities between species, we evaluated the organization of open-field exploration in leopard geckos in darkness and in light. Measures include the number and locations of stops and progressions, distance traveled, and speed of movement. A similar organization of exploratory behavior between reptiles and mammals suggests that this behavior may have been established before the evolutionary split of mammals and reptiles ~200mya.
Location
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
Start Date
16-4-2019 12:30 PM
End Date
16-4-2019 2:30 PM
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Tracey, Rob, "Exploratory movements of leopard geckos in visual and non-visual environments" (2019). Undergraduate Research Competition. 51.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2019/poster/51
Exploratory movements of leopard geckos in visual and non-visual environments
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
Most animals rely on familiar visual landmarks to guide navigation, but non-visual cues can guide navigation in darkness or in unfamiliar environments. Visual and non-visual navigation in mammals has been the focus of numerous studies, and this research demonstrates that mammals establish 'home bases' to which they frequently return during exploration of a novel environment. This organization of movement suggests the animals are forming a cognitive, representation of the environment, but no studies have tested whether reptiles navigate in this manner. To gain insight into the cognitive similarities between species, we evaluated the organization of open-field exploration in leopard geckos in darkness and in light. Measures include the number and locations of stops and progressions, distance traveled, and speed of movement. A similar organization of exploratory behavior between reptiles and mammals suggests that this behavior may have been established before the evolutionary split of mammals and reptiles ~200mya.