Cephalopods, broad-leaved mollusks, octopuses, bedfish and squid are some of the amazing animals. They are far removed from humans in the evolutionary history of living things – the last ancestor we shared lived 600 million years ago – yet Their cognitive abilities They belong to us more than many other animals that are more closely related to us. For example, animals that visually identify bedfish prey and those who use their odors have different defense strategies. They remember Where and when they ate certain things, Says a new study, They know how to exercise self-control: they avoid eating anything they like if they know that waiting will bring delicious rewards.

It was discovered by a team of scientists who studied six models in the summer of 2018 Sepia officinalis, Common bedfish at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. All six bedfish were subjected to a water versionStanford Marshmallow Experiment, Conducted a psychiatric scientific examination of delays in children between the ages of 3 and 6 years For the first time in the 1970s. Study participants were offered a treat (i Marshmallow They had proven to be very popular) but said they would get two later if they skipped eating. About half the children can wait.

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With bed fish instead of marshmallows, A shrimp meat and live shrimp were used. Mattress fish are valued both as food, but live shrimp are preferred. In the experiment the shrimp and live shrimp were placed inside transparent containers, but the ones with the shrimp pieces were always accessible to the bed fish, while the live shrimp only opened after a while. Prior to the actual experiment, the bedfish were trained to recognize certain visual symbols in transparent containers and to distinguish them only after a certain period of time. They were trained to know that eating the gift in one container would remove the others.

Knowing all this, Kattil Fish was immediately able to choose whether to eat a piece of shrimp meat or wait a while to get live shrimp. The six bed fish inspected could wait up to 1 1/2 minutes for the shrimp. This is similar to what other animals with advanced cognitive abilities, such as parrots, crows, and chimpanzees, can wait for.

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We need to understand why animals like bedfish evolved to exercise self-control. This is a ability commonly found in social animals, where members cooperate with each other and learn from each other to achieve goals that benefit the whole model of a society. Chimpanzees, crows, and parrots are all social and long-lived animals – resisting impulses at any time can help strengthen social ties that lead to future benefits. This is why it is a sensible ability from an evolutionary point of view, because it helps the holder to live better and longer. However, bedfish are not social animals and they do not live long: their lifespan is about two years.

This is why cephalopods have developed more complex cognitive abilities than most animals Despite the loneliness, he did not live long This is one of the most interesting aspects of these animals. Alexandra Schnell, author of the study of bedfish self – control; Assuming This may include their eating habits. The bed fish stays in hiding most of the time, protecting itself from predators, and turning on it frequently to get food. The need to make these short hunting sessions more effective may lead to the evolution of self-control, as specimens that want to wait for better opportunities can gain more nutritious prey by limiting contact with predators.

Not all animals understand the concept of “sometimes less is more”. Humans and chimpanzees, who have learned to resist the temptations of the present for greater satisfaction in the future, perform well in general intelligence tests, ”adds Shonel.

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