---
_id: '9101'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'Behavioral predispositions are innate tendencies of animals to behave in
    a given way without the input of learning. They increase survival chances and,
    due to environmental and ecological challenges, may vary substantially even between
    closely related taxa. These differences are likely to be especially pronounced
    in long-lived species like crocodilians. This order is particularly relevant for
    comparative cognition due to its phylogenetic proximity to birds. Here we compared
    early life behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species. We exposed
    American alligator and spectacled caiman hatchlings to three different novel situations:
    a novel object, a novel environment that was open and a novel environment with
    a shelter. This was then repeated a week later. During exposure to the novel environments,
    alligators moved around more and explored a larger range of the arena than the
    caimans. When exposed to the novel object, the alligators reduced the mean distance
    to the novel object in the second phase, while the caimans further increased it,
    indicating diametrically opposite ontogenetic development in behavioral predispositions.
    Although all crocodilian hatchlings face comparable challenges, e.g., high predation
    pressure, the effectiveness of parental protection might explain the observed
    pattern. American alligators are apex predators capable of protecting their offspring
    against most dangers, whereas adult spectacled caimans are frequently predated
    themselves. Their distancing behavior might be related to increased predator avoidance
    and also explain the success of invasive spectacled caimans in the natural habitats
    of other crocodilians.'
acknowledgement: We thank Jamie Gilks and Terry Miles for their support at Crocodiles
  of the World. We are grateful to the Department of Cognitive Biology, University
  of Vienna for provision of working space and hardware. Finally, we would like to
  thank Cliodhna Quigley, Rachael Harrison and Urs A. Reber for discussion. Open Access
  funding provided by Lund University. This project was funded by the Marietta Blau
  grant (BMFWF) to S. A. R.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Stephan A.
  full_name: Reber, Stephan A.
  last_name: Reber
- first_name: Jinook
  full_name: Oh, Jinook
  id: 403169A4-080F-11EA-9993-BF3F3DDC885E
  last_name: Oh
  orcid: 0000-0001-7425-2372
- first_name: Judith
  full_name: Janisch, Judith
  last_name: Janisch
- first_name: Colin
  full_name: Stevenson, Colin
  last_name: Stevenson
- first_name: Shaun
  full_name: Foggett, Shaun
  last_name: Foggett
- first_name: Anna
  full_name: Wilkinson, Anna
  last_name: Wilkinson
citation:
  ama: Reber SA, Oh J, Janisch J, Stevenson C, Foggett S, Wilkinson A. Early life
    differences in behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species. <i>Animal
    Cognition</i>. 2021;24(4):753-764. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5">10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5</a>
  apa: Reber, S. A., Oh, J., Janisch, J., Stevenson, C., Foggett, S., &#38; Wilkinson,
    A. (2021). Early life differences in behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae
    species. <i>Animal Cognition</i>. Springer Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5</a>
  chicago: Reber, Stephan A., Jinook Oh, Judith Janisch, Colin Stevenson, Shaun Foggett,
    and Anna Wilkinson. “Early Life Differences in Behavioral Predispositions in Two
    Alligatoridae Species.” <i>Animal Cognition</i>. Springer Nature, 2021. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5</a>.
  ieee: S. A. Reber, J. Oh, J. Janisch, C. Stevenson, S. Foggett, and A. Wilkinson,
    “Early life differences in behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species,”
    <i>Animal Cognition</i>, vol. 24, no. 4. Springer Nature, pp. 753–764, 2021.
  ista: Reber SA, Oh J, Janisch J, Stevenson C, Foggett S, Wilkinson A. 2021. Early
    life differences in behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species. Animal
    Cognition. 24(4), 753–764.
  mla: Reber, Stephan A., et al. “Early Life Differences in Behavioral Predispositions
    in Two Alligatoridae Species.” <i>Animal Cognition</i>, vol. 24, no. 4, Springer
    Nature, 2021, pp. 753–64, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5">10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5</a>.
  short: S.A. Reber, J. Oh, J. Janisch, C. Stevenson, S. Foggett, A. Wilkinson, Animal
    Cognition 24 (2021) 753–764.
date_created: 2021-02-07T23:01:13Z
date_published: 2021-07-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-06-12T06:34:03Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '590'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5
external_id:
  isi:
  - '000608382100001'
  pmid:
  - '33454828'
file:
- access_level: open_access
  checksum: d9dfa0d1de6d684692b041d936dd858e
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: dernst
  date_created: 2021-02-09T07:40:14Z
  date_updated: 2021-02-09T07:40:14Z
  file_id: '9107'
  file_name: 2021_AnimalCognition_Reber.pdf
  file_size: 1117991
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2021-02-09T07:40:14Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '        24'
isi: 1
issue: '4'
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
month: '07'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 753-764
pmid: 1
publication: Animal Cognition
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1435-9456
  issn:
  - 1435-9448
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Early life differences in behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 24
year: '2021'
...