4 years ago

Study Finds Cuttlefish Remember Their Last Meal

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Abigail is a animal and food lover who decided a long time ago not to... Read More

A new study finds that cuttlefish can remember certain things that have happened in their life, even the last meal they ate.

Cuttlefish have one of the largest brains among the invertebrates though they live only a short two years. The study found that cuttlefish show signs of aging with decreased muscle function and lack of appetite. But it appears that no matter their age, cuttlefish can remember what they ate last. Using this knowledge to guide where they decide to feed next.

The study was done with 24 cuttlefish ranging in ages from 10 to 12 months old and 22 to 24 months old. The cuttlefish were trained to wait for food, learning that if they waited for a certain amount of time they would get their favorite food. Details of when and where they would get their food changed every day so, they would have to remember these details on their own.

In these tests, the older cuttlefish was able to remember these details better than the younger cuttlefish. This research showed yet another animal with cognitive function that could match our own. Further displacing the belief that only humans have certain cognitive abilities.

Malcolm Kennedy, professor of natural history at the University of Glasgow, said, “The pedestal upon which humans place themselves in terms of neurological abilities continues to crumble. It is just that other types of animals perform similar functions differently.”