Beary Clever!

A study found that black bears are capable of picture-object recognition.

18:42 18 July 2016

A study found that black bears are capable of picture-object recognition, a trait seen in other animals including horses, pigeons, rhesus monkeys, and hens.

 

Researchers from Oakland University have found that black bears are a lot smarter than one might think. In their study, they recruited Migwan, an American black bear that showed the capability of picture-object recognition. The bear was able to recognise objects she knew in real life when looking at an image displayed on a computer screen.

 

In their experiment, the researchers presented Migwan with two sets of random objects and wheeled a touch screen in front of her enclosure. The bear was also trained on photographs before being shown the real objects.

 

The researchers found that when it came to the objects she was familiar with, the bear was able to recognise these objects in a photograph. The findings help in understanding how animals rate the environment they are kept in based on photographs of the facilities, foods, and other features around.

 

‘Bears can transfer learning with real objects to photographs of those objects presented on computer screens,’ says Zoe Johnson-Ulrich.

 

Jennifer Vonk, one of the authors on the study, explained, ‘Because a lot of research with photographic stimuli uses familiar images, for example food or conspecifics, this is useful in suggesting that bears’ responses to these photographs may reflect behaviours towards real items.’