Features of learning in toads Bufo viridis during behavior that requires taking into account the limits of their own bodies

Abstract

The goal of this work was to study the ability of the green toad Bufo viridis to form skills based on tactile sensations arising in the process of interaction between animal’s body and external objects. During the experiment we varied the proportions of the holes in the experimental setup, through which the animal penetrated, and the limits of the animal bodies by attaching blankets to their body with an extraneous object. It was found that toads can to take into account the natural limits of their own body when interacting with external objects, and also transfer this experience in a situation where the proportions of the holes in the experiment setup was varied. When the limits of the toad body were urgently changed so that these changes prevent the animals from penetration into certain types of holes, these animals did not learn to take into account the fact that the holes previously permeable to the natural limits of their bodies became impenetrable after increasing these limits. We state that these data indicate that the toads even before the experiment began had experience of taking into account the natural boundaries of their bodies. But toads are not able to modify their body schema, when the limits of their bodies are urgently increased.