Brainy Amphibians: Salamanders Reveal Unexpected Problem-Solving Prowess

An animal’s ability to resist a direct impulse to find a smarter route to a goal is a key cognitive skill known as inhibitory control. New research into this complex behaviour in salamanders has revealed surprising diversity.

Scientists presented two species of salamander with a detour challenge: reach a food reward by navigating around a transparent barrier. The results showed that problem-solving ability varies dramatically not just between species, but also within a species as it matures from a larva to an adult.

For instance, while adult Salamandrella tridactyla were more successful than their larvae, the opposite was true for Hynobius yiwuensis, whose larvae outperformed the adults. Over successive trials, the amphibians made fewer errors, suggesting they were learning. Because all individuals were raised in a lab from eggs, these distinct cognitive styles likely stem from underlying genetic differences shaped by their unique evolutionary pressures and ecological adaptations.