Summary: Lizard See, Lizard Do: First Evidence of Imitation in a Reptile Episode 68 by Mary Bates (Click here to directly access the MP3) Reptiles aren’t exactly known for the smarts. But maybe they’re just the victim of bad press. A new study shows lizards are capable of social learning through imitation, an ability previously thought to be limited to mammals and birds. Listen to the Podcast to learn more! Further Reading: Kis, A., Huber, L., and Wilkinson, A. (2014). Social learning by imitation in a reptile (Pogona vitticeps). Animal Cognition. doi: 10.1007/s10071-014-0803-7. Manrod, J. D., Hartdegen, R., and Burghardt, G. M. (2008). Rapid solving of a problem apparatus by juvenile black-throated monitor lizards (Varanus albigularis albigularis). Animal Cognition 11(2): 267-273. doi: 10.1007/s10071-007-0109-0. Wilkinson, A., Coward, S., and Hall, G. (2009). Visual and response-based navigation in the tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria). Animal Cognition 12(6): 779-787. doi: 10.1007/s10071-009-0237-9. Mary Bates is a freelance science writer living in Boston. She has a Ph.D. in psychology from Brown University where she studied bat echolocation. You can visit her website at www.marybateswriter.com and follow her on Twitter at @mebwriter.
