Crossmodal Pitch-Luminance Association in Tortoises.

ABSTRACT: Crossmodal associations-spontaneous links between sensory modalities-are widely observed in humans. Similar associations have also been found in chimpanzees, monkeys, dogs, chickens, and tortoises, suggesting a shared cognitive strategy based on environmental correlations or a similar nervous system architecture. Alternatively, or complementarily, these associations may arise from learned, species-specific occurrences. Humans and chimpanzees, for instance, pair higher-pitched sounds with white shapes and lower-pitched sounds with black shapes, while baboons and chickens show no preference. Here, we provide novel evidence of pitch-luminance association in a nonvocal reptile, the Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni). We studied tortoises in a spontaneous food-searching task. After hearing a

SUBMITTER: Loconsole M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12645254 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature