A low-coercion, open-loop design provides preliminary evidence of visually guided discrimination and individual differences in two Neotropical otters (Lontra longicaudis)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: A low-coercion, open-loop design can extend discrimination testing to captive animals that resist standard methods, such as the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis), for which no data exist.We tested visually guided instrumental behaviour in two individuals using a two-choice task in which an incorrect first choice cost only a delay.One otter reached abovechance accuracy with full correction; the other did not exceed chance but reduced an initial side preference and corrected more often, differing in latency and item handling.The results give preliminary evidence of this capacity and a design suited to other hard-to-test species.
Source: microPublication biology
Authors: Renata Chiarella, Rodrigo De Marco
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University
Language: English
Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225575300