One of the traits of high intelligence is exerting self-control, and there are plenty of creatures able to do it. Except for humans, animals like chimps or parrots also qualify, and a new one is added to the list. According to new research led by Dr. Alex Schnell, who is a behavioral ecologist from the University of Cambridge, cuttlefish can delay gratification for a better reward.
The Guardian brings the news of cuttlefish discovered to be exerting self-control. The venomous marine mollusks of the order Sepiida were exposed to an adapted Stanford marshmallow test. While the cuttlefish didn’t hesitate to attack when food was near, the marine creatures realized that they need to adapt to each chamber’s rules.
Two chambers
The cuttlefish were exposed to two chambers. The first-preference food of the marine creatures appeared in the ‘delay’ chamber, while the second-preference food was placed in the ‘immediate’ chamber. Dr. Schnell, leader of the study, declared:
We wanted to see if they were able to exert self-control in a flexible manner depending on the context.
Schnell also added:
They could see their preferred food in the unobtainable chamber, but they could never get to it – so they needed to make a decision whether to attempt to, or just take the immediate option.
The cuttlefish were able to delay gratification and even maintain it for periods of 50-130 seconds. The main suspicion is that self-control evolved in cuttlefish for maximizing efficiency. Schnell also reveals that the marine creatures spend long periods of time camouflaged as they remain motionless to avoid predators. The behavior is broken up when cuttlefish start to forage.
The new research was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal.
