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Meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, can distinguish more over-marks from fewer over-marks

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Abstract

Is it possible that voles have a sense of number? To address this question, we determined whether voles discriminate between two different scent-marking individuals and identify the individual whose scent marks was on top more often than the other individual. We tested whether voles show a preference for the individual whose scent marks was on top most often. If so, the simplest explanation was that voles can make a relative size judgement—such as distinguishing an area containing more of one individual’s over-marks as compared to less of another individual’s over-marks. We found that voles respond preferentially to the donor that provided a greater number of over-marks as compared to the donor that provided a lesser number of over-marks. Thus, we concluded that voles might display the capacity for relative numerousness. Interestingly, female voles were better able than male voles to distinguish between small differences in the relative number of over-marks by the two scent donors.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Augusta Okaputo, William Williams, and Hong Li for technical assistance. Funding was provided by the NIH BRIDGE program at The University of Memphis and NIH grant AG 16954-01 to M.H.F. and NIH grant to the Tennessee Mouse Mutagenesis Consortium

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, The University of Memphis, Ellington Hall, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Michael H. Ferkin, Andrew A. Pierce, Robert O. Sealand & Javier delBarco-Trillo

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  1. Michael H. Ferkin
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  2. Andrew A. Pierce
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  3. Robert O. Sealand
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  4. Javier delBarco-Trillo
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Correspondence to Michael H. Ferkin.

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Ferkin, M.H., Pierce, A.A., Sealand, R.O. et al. Meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, can distinguish more over-marks from fewer over-marks. Anim Cogn 8, 182–189 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-004-0244-9

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