Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze Task
The spatial orientation of mammals and birds has been intensively studied for many years, but the cognitive mechanism of spatial orientation and memory used by squamates remains poorly understood. Our study evaluated the learning and memory abilities of leopard geckos (<i>Eublepharis maculariu...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Eva Landová Aleksandra Chomik Barbora Vobrubová Tereza Hruška Hášová Monika Voňavková Daniel Frynta Petra Frýdlová |
| author_facet | Eva Landová Aleksandra Chomik Barbora Vobrubová Tereza Hruška Hášová Monika Voňavková Daniel Frynta Petra Frýdlová |
| author_sort | Eva Landová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The spatial orientation of mammals and birds has been intensively studied for many years, but the cognitive mechanism of spatial orientation and memory used by squamates remains poorly understood. Our study evaluated the learning and memory abilities of leopard geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in an adapted Morris water maze. The animals learned during the training phase consisted of 20 trials. To assess long-term memory, we retested geckos twice after several months. The geckos remembered the learned information in a short re-test after two months, but after four months, they required retraining to find the platform. We hypothesise that the duration of memory corresponds with short-term changes in semi-desert environments within one season, while disruption of memory performance after a six-month gap may simulate the more extensive seasonal change in spatial relationships in their natural environment. Moreover, during the winter period, geckos exhibit low activity, which can be connected with decreased frequency of foraging trips. Therefore, the memory loss after four months may reflect the low level of memory jogging. The motivation during the experiment was the crucial parameter of learning and memory processes. In later phases, geckos were less motivated to perform the task. Finally, they relearned the spatial orientation task, but they moved more slowly as the experiment progressed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3b694b4fd3b045e487a48cce011464fa |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-3b694b4fd3b045e487a48cce011464fa2025-08-20T02:48:19ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011514201410.3390/ani15142014Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze TaskEva Landová0Aleksandra Chomik1Barbora Vobrubová2Tereza Hruška Hášová3Monika Voňavková4Daniel Frynta5Petra Frýdlová6Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 00 Prague, Czech RepublicThe spatial orientation of mammals and birds has been intensively studied for many years, but the cognitive mechanism of spatial orientation and memory used by squamates remains poorly understood. Our study evaluated the learning and memory abilities of leopard geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in an adapted Morris water maze. The animals learned during the training phase consisted of 20 trials. To assess long-term memory, we retested geckos twice after several months. The geckos remembered the learned information in a short re-test after two months, but after four months, they required retraining to find the platform. We hypothesise that the duration of memory corresponds with short-term changes in semi-desert environments within one season, while disruption of memory performance after a six-month gap may simulate the more extensive seasonal change in spatial relationships in their natural environment. Moreover, during the winter period, geckos exhibit low activity, which can be connected with decreased frequency of foraging trips. Therefore, the memory loss after four months may reflect the low level of memory jogging. The motivation during the experiment was the crucial parameter of learning and memory processes. In later phases, geckos were less motivated to perform the task. Finally, they relearned the spatial orientation task, but they moved more slowly as the experiment progressed.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2014cognitionmemoryMorris water mazeorientationreptile learningspatial navigation |
| spellingShingle | Eva Landová Aleksandra Chomik Barbora Vobrubová Tereza Hruška Hášová Monika Voňavková Daniel Frynta Petra Frýdlová Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze Task Animals cognition memory Morris water maze orientation reptile learning spatial navigation |
| title | Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze Task |
| title_full | Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze Task |
| title_fullStr | Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze Task |
| title_full_unstemmed | Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze Task |
| title_short | Memory in Leopard Geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) in a Morris Water Maze Task |
| title_sort | memory in leopard geckos i eublepharis macularius i in a morris water maze task |
| topic | cognition memory Morris water maze orientation reptile learning spatial navigation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2014 |
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