Interspecific two-dimensional visual discrimination of faces in horses (Equus caballus).

ABSTRACT: In social animals, recognizing conspecifics and distinguishing them from other animal species is certainly important. We hypothesize, as demonstrated in other species of ungulates, that horses are able to discriminate between the faces of conspecifics and the faces of other domestic species (cattle, sheep, donkeys and pigs). Our hypothesis was tested by studying inter-and intra-specific visual discrimination abilities in horses through a two-way instrumental conditioning task (discrimination and reversal learning), using two-dimensional images of faces as discriminative stimuli and food as a positive reward. Our results indicate that 8 out of 10 horses were able to distinguish between two-dimensional images of the faces of horses and images showing the faces of other species. A similar per

SUBMITTER: Ragonese G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7894942 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature