He has a large nervous system .. squids can learn from an early age

Laila Ali

The results of a recent study published in the "Biology liter" on February 5, 2020, showed that when squids know that shrimp, which is their favorite food, will be available in the evening, they eat fewer crabs during the day. This ability to make decisions based on future expectations reveals complex knowledge capabilities of squid.

"It was surprising to see how quickly the nutritional behavior of squid adapted to the surrounding environment. In just a few days, learn whether there might be shrimps in Evening or not, this is a very complex behavior and is only available if it has a developed brain. "

Selective and opportunistic nutritional behavior
During experiments, upon observing the famous dark brown European squid by researchers, they described his nutritional behavior as selective or opportunistic.

When the researchers consistently provided shrimp feed for squid each evening, the squid became more selective throughout the day and ate significantly fewer crabs. But when supplied randomly with the evening shrimp, squid became opportunistic and consumed more crabs during the day.

Providing shrimp randomly in the evening means that squid cannot predict if his favorite food will be available at dinner daily, so be sure they have enough food early in the day. When conditions changed, squid changed its food search strategy.

The researchers saw that animals are rapidly shifting from an eating strategy to another based on their experience, by learning and remembering patterns of food availability in the surrounding environment, the researchers found that the squid improves its activity in search of food not only to ensure that it is eating enough of it, but also to make sure to eat More foods he prefers.

Shrimp preference
Squid eat a wide range of foods including crabs, fish, etc., depending on what is available. Despite this general diet it shows strong nutritional preferences.

To confirm this, the researchers tested 29 squid five times a day, for five days, by placing lobster and shrimp at an equal distance from the squid at the same time and watching what they eat first, so everyone showed a preference for shrimp.

Animals usually adapt constantly to changes in their environment for survival, and for squids they hatch from the start with a large central nervous system, which enables them to learn at an early age. He is also able to remember things that have happened in the past, and use this information to adjust his behavior in anticipation of the future.

"This flexible feeding strategy shows that squid can quickly adapt to changes in its environment using past experience," says Professor Nicolas Clayton of the Department of Psychology at Cambridge University, who is leading the study. "This discovery can provide a valuable insight into the adaptive origins of this cognitive ability." Complex. "