Data from: Quantity discrimination, decision-making, and the role of early-life conditions in a lizard
Data files
Nov 25, 2025 version files 67.14 KB
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lizard_database_number.csv
50.07 KB
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measures_crickets.csv
6.84 KB
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orientation_test.csv
6.11 KB
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README.md
4.11 KB
Abstract
Quantity discrimination affects a range of behaviours essential for fitness, including social interactions, navigation, and foraging, and is widespread across animal taxa. However, in reptiles, evidence for this ability—particularly for small number contrasts—remains limited and mixed. Early-life conditions, such as hormonal exposure and temperature, can also shape brain development and cognitive performance, potentially affecting numerical abilities. Here, we tested the ability of the common garden skink (Lampropholis guichenoti) to discriminate between quantities and the effects of elevated prenatal GCs and incubation temperature on quantity discrimination and decision-making. We assessed quantity discrimination using a spontaneous choice test with food as a stimulus. We subjected lizards to five two-choice tests differing in the number of items (1 VS 4, 1 VS 3, 2 VS 4, 2 VS 3, 3 VS 4) while controlling for total length and area. Contrary to our predictions, we found no evidence of quantity discrimination in L. guichenoti. Furthermore, prenatal conditions did not influence their performance or decision-making. Despite these results, further investigation of quantity discrimination in live-prey-feeding reptiles and the impact of early conditions on other taxa remains an important area of research.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.08kprr5gv
Description of the data and file structure
Three data files are included in this repository.
lizard_database_number shows the main data employed in the study. The time is given from a few seconds to minutes.
measures_crickets and orientation_test provide data on extra experiments we performed, and which results are reported in the supplementary material of the manuscript.
Files and variables
File: lizard_database_number.csv
Description:
Variables
- position: position of the enclosures within each rack
- lizard_id: identity of the lizard
- trt: treatment applied to the egg. A is for control eggs and B for CORT-treated. Numbers indicate the incubation temperature
- sex: sex of the lizard (female/male)
- current_enclosure: number of the individual enclosure the lizard was held in
- clutch: clutch identity
- hatch_date: date when lizard hatched
- test_date: date when the test was performed
- age: age of the lizard in days when the behavioural experiment started
- notes: extra notes
- day: day when the test was performed (1-5)
- test_type: numerical test
- pos_high_lat: position where the dish with the larger number of crickets was left in relation to the position of the shelter
- pos_high_risk: position where the dish with the larger number of crickets was left in relation to the position of the researcher leaving the crickets
- choice: choice made (1 = larger choice)
- lat_high: time between the start of the experiment and the approach to the dish with the larger number of crickets
- lat_low: time between the start of the experiment and the approach to the dish with the smaller number of crickets
- latency: latency to make a choice (i.e., the lowest between lat_high and lat_low)
- time_high: time spent exploring the dish with the larger number of crickets
- time_low: time spent exploring the dish with the smaller number of crickets
- compared_interest: time_high - time_low
- ratio_interest: (time_high - time_low) / (time_high + time_low)
- side_choice: side chosen relatively to the position of the shelter
File: measures_crickets.csv
Description:
Variables
- rack: rack number
- camera: camera number
- day: day when the test was performed (1-5)
- lizard_id: lizard identity
- test: numerical test
- measure_small: total length of the crickets in the option with fewer crickets
- measure_big: total length of the crickets in the option with more crickets
- diff_measure: measure_big - measure_small
File: orientation_test.csv
Description:
Variables
- position: position of the enclosures within each rack
- lizard_id: identity of the lizard
- trt: treatment applied to the egg. A is for control eggs and B for CORT-treated. Numbers indicate the incubation temperature
- sex: sex of the lizard (female/male)
- current_enclosure: number of the individual enclosure the lizard was held in
- clutch: clutch identity
- hatch_date: date when lizard hatched
- test_date: date when the test was performed
- age: age of the lizard when the behavioural experiment started
- notes: extra notes
- day: day when the test was performed (1-5)
- test_type: numerical test, all controls
- position_horizontal: position of the cricket placed horizontally. Both orientation and position relative to the position of the shelter
- choice_horizontal: 1 = chose cricket in horizontal orientation, 0 choice of cricket oriented vertically
Code/software
The data is readable in Excel. Code (https://github.com/Pablo-Recio/CORT-Temp_Numerical) is readable in R (Quartos), both the independent files and the code embedded within the text.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
Data was derived from the following sources:
- None