Quokkas (Setonix brachyurus) demonstrate tactile discrimination learning and serial-reversal learning

Area of Science:

• Animal Behavior
• Cognitive Science
• Marsupial Research

Background:

• Quokkas (Setonix brachyurus), a unique herbivorous macropod marsupial, are subjects of interest for understanding cognitive abilities in non-primate mammals.
• Assessing sensory discrimination is crucial for understanding animal cognition and ecological adaptations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the tactile and visual discrimination learning capabilities of quokkas.
• To evaluate the quokkas' ability to adapt to changes in discrimination tasks, specifically reversal learning.

Main Methods:

• Two male quokkas were trained using a two-cord choice procedure in a laboratory setting.
• Discrimination abilities were assessed across six tactile and six visual tasks, with food rewards for correct responses.
• One tactile task underwent ten reversals to assess adaptive learning.

Main Results:

• Both quokkas successfully learned all six tactile discrimination tasks to criterion within four sessions.
• No visual discrimination task reached criterion performance within the same timeframe.
• Following the initial reversal, error rates on the repeated tactile task significantly decreased, surpassing initial learning performance.

Conclusions:

• Quokkas exhibit proficient learning and rapid adaptation in tactile discrimination tasks.
• Visual discrimination appears to be significantly more challenging for quokkas compared to tactile stimuli.
• These findings highlight the differential processing of sensory information in quokkas and their capacity for cognitive flexibility.