Brainy Lizards Pass Test for Birds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110712211009.htm

ScienceDaily (July 15, 2011) — Tropical lizards may be slow. But they aren't dumb. They can do problem-solving tasks just as well as birds and mammals, a new study shows.

A Duke University experiment tested Puerto Rican anoles on several cognitive tasks and found they can learn and remember to solve a problem they've never faced before. The results challenge the scientific stereotype that reptiles have limited cognitive abilities and methods for finding food.

The lizards' success on a worm-based test normally used on birds was "completely unexpected," said Duke biologist Manuel Leal, who led the study.

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