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Effect of early feeding experience on subsequent prey preference by cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis
Author(s) -
Darmaillacq AnneSophie,
Chichery Raymond,
Poirier Roseline,
Dickel Ludovic
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20034
Subject(s) - cuttlefish , sepia , preference , juvenile , predation , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , zoology , fishery , shrimp , food preference , officinalis , ecology , psychology , food science , mathematics , statistics , botany
Food preferences were investigated in cuttlefish during the first 3 months' posthatching, using choice tests between crabs, shrimps, and young fish. The results showed that without previous feeding experience, cuttlefish preferred shrimps on Day 3. This suggests an innate food preference; however, it was possible to induce a preference for an originally nonpreferred prey item in 3‐day‐old and naïve cuttlefish, demonstrating the flexibility of this initial behavioral preference in response to previous individual experience. This preference suggests a learning process involving a form of long‐term memory, demonstrated for the first time in juvenile cuttlefish. Until Day 30, juvenile cuttlefish fed exclusively shrimps chose shrimps. This preference probably depends on their previous feeding experience. Finally, it appears that from Day 60, cuttlefish reared on the same restricted diet have a tendency to switch their preference to novel prey items, which diversify their diet. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 45: 239–244, 2004.