Laboratorio de Conducta Animal, GAIA-BIO, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Av. del Centenario Km. 5.5, C.P. 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO, UMR 7204, CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne-Université, MNHN), Paris, France.
Anim Cogn. 2022 Oct;25(5):1049-1058. doi: 10.1007/s10071-022-01676-8. Epub 2022 Aug 24.
In this paper, we present a review of the current knowledge related to the cognitive abilities of the manatee, with a focus on the Antillean manatee in situ and ex situ. Following a biocentric approach, we consider the animals' ecology, perception and sociality and we introduce future perspectives on their cognition. Scientific literature on the cognitive abilities of Antillean manatees' is limited and mainly linked to medical training and veterinary manipulations. To perceive and to interact with their social and natural environment (e.g. social interactions, foraging and traveling), manatees use visual, acoustic and tactile modalities that may be involved in a large range of cognitive abilities. Research on stimuli perception in manatees is scarce; however, these animals demonstrate abilities to learn and appear to show long-term memory. For example, to mate and/or to forage manatees travel at medium and large geographical scales; without doubt their movements entail the use of a set of stimuli and learning processes. Furthermore, their social skills (e.g. social organization, tactile and acoustic communications) are also poorly understood although their social interactions appear to be more complex than previously thought. Finally, as for many animals, temperament/personality may play a key role during their interactions with conspecifics and the environment. These aspects on manatee behavior and cognition are important for management and conservation purposes and help us understand the evolution of these marine mammals.
本文综述了海牛认知能力的现有知识，重点关注了安的列斯海牛的就地和迁地保护情况。我们采用生物中心主义的方法，考虑了动物的生态学、感知能力和社会性，并介绍了它们认知能力的未来研究视角。关于安的列斯海牛认知能力的科学文献有限，主要与医疗培训和兽医操作有关。为了感知和与它们的社会和自然环境（例如社交互动、觅食和旅行）互动，海牛使用视觉、听觉和触觉方式，这些方式可能涉及广泛的认知能力。关于海牛对刺激感知的研究很少；然而，这些动物表现出学习能力，并且似乎具有长期记忆。例如，为了交配和/或觅食，海牛在中等和大地理尺度上迁徙；毫无疑问，它们的运动需要利用一系列刺激和学习过程。此外，它们的社交技能（例如社会组织、触觉和声音交流）也知之甚少，尽管它们的社交互动似乎比之前认为的更为复杂。最后，就像许多动物一样，气质/个性在它们与同类和环境的互动中可能起着关键作用。这些关于海牛行为和认知的方面对于管理和保护目的很重要，有助于我们了解这些海洋哺乳动物的进化。
