Odor exploration behavior of the domestic pig () as indicator of enriching properties of odors.

Introduction And Aim: Although the sense of smell in pigs is widely recognized as being highly developed, surprisingly little is known about their sensory ability. This study aimed to (a) identify which non-social odors pigs were able to detect and distinguish between, (b) investigate the types of behavior expressed when exploring odors and, (c) compare pigs' responses to the different odors to evaluate their interest in the odors.

Methods: Growing pigs ( = 192) of crossbred commercial breeds were enrolled in the experiment (32-110 days of age, weighing 64.

Dairy cows did not rely on social learning mechanisms when solving a spatial detour task.

As herd-living animals, cattle have opportunities to observe and learn from others. While there is evidence of simpler processes of information transfer in cattle (social facilitation and stimulus enhancement), true social learning mechanisms in cattle remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate if dairy cows possess cognitive abilities to acquire new behavior through social learning in a spatial detour task.