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Socially tolerant lions (Panthera leo) solve a novel cooperative problem

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Abstract

Cooperative interactions vary in complexity. The emotional reactivity hypothesis posits that cooperative complexity is constrained by social intolerance. Relaxed social constraints should thereby increase cooperative flexibility and have been proposed as a key step in cognitive evolution. Lions (Panthera leo) are an ideal candidate for investigating cooperative complexity and tolerance. Lions regularly cooperate and their egalitarian social structure predicts high social tolerance. I used a food-sharing task and cooperative problem-solving task to investigate tolerance and cooperation in lions. The majority of pairs (N = 5/7 dyads) solved the cooperative task, repeated success in consecutive trials, and demonstrated cooperative complexity at the levels of similarity and synchrony. Surprisingly, lions showed no evidence of coordination. If coordination occurred, then after gaining experience and when no longer naïve to the need for a partner, lions should increase the proportion of time spent together and preferentially attended to the task in the presence of a partner. However, naïve and experienced pairs did not differ (Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test: both present at apparatus: S4 = − 4.5, N = 5, p = 0.50 |both touching the rope: S4 = − 3.5, N = 5, p = 0.43| simultaneous action: S4 = 2.5, N = 5, p = 0.63). As predicted, lions displayed high tolerance and cooperative success was positively correlated with tolerance (Spearman’s correlation test: ρ = 0.83, N = 7, p = 0.02*). To date, this is the first experimental test of and support for cooperative problem solving in lions.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Lion Country Safari and The Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary for access to their facilities and assistance in research. I thank Lion Country Safari for constructing and funding the puzzle boxes, and specifically, Brian Dowling for his invaluable assistance throughout this study. I would also like to thank Bob Dalton at Lion Country Safari for his help constructing the puzzle boxes. The University of Miami also provided funding for this project. I am also grateful to Kevin Richardson and the staff of Welgedacht Private Game Reserve for their assistance during research, specifically: Lozanne van Sittert, Ian Hall, and Zako Jordaan. Craig Packer, Steve Green, and Bill Searcy provided feedback and support throughout the various stages of this project and I am grateful for their guidance.

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  1. Department of Biology, Office 1026, School of Science and Engineering, American University Cairo, AUC Ave, New Cairo, Cairo Governorate, 11835, Egypt

    Natalia Borrego

  2. Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA

    Natalia Borrego

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Correspondence to Natalia Borrego.

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Borrego, N. Socially tolerant lions (Panthera leo) solve a novel cooperative problem. Anim Cogn 23, 327–336 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-019-01336-4

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