intelligence

[Neo]

lets get to the pt.. i dont have a life, so i was thinkin bout leos and stuff. i'm also into psycology.. a lot. so i was just wondering at what level of intelligence are these leos really at. people say they can recognize things like voice. what other neat leo gecko thinking things are there? social things, communication, threat managment, reaction vs. intention.. that kinda stuff

[Zoe]

I think that depends on your definition of intelligence, Neo.
If you percieve such as being problem solving, adapting to new situations, memorizing, etc. Then no, leos are probably not very intelligent.
They know what they need to know to survive - they know how/what to hunt, what to do to escape predators, how to thermoregulate, how to hide, how to procreate and so on. If you classify an animal perfectly suited to it's surroundings, then leos would seem very smart after all.
And yet again, if you are measuring by brain mass, then leopard geckos are not very smart. Crocodiles, for example, have the largest relative brain mass (still pretty small) in the reptile kingdom and could thus be considered as being the smartest reptile, and they can recognize patterns (lets say, a herd of animals come to the water to drink at the same time each day). But lets face it, leopard geckos don't have very big brains, even compared to their small body size.

Now, leopard geckos are social animals. They can communicate very well through body language or even vocally (anyone who has accidentally put a male leo in with another can vouch for this!). They can react to threats, but they probably only have a few methods of doing so (run; hide; drop tail; intimidate or fight back). I doubt a leopard gecko could go beyond these instincts.
As for reaction vs intention, I would say that leopard geckos <i>intend</i> to do very little. Most of what they do is based on instinct. Sure, they can be taught little tricks (I know of some leos who will come for food, or will go nuts at seeing a feather on a string!) but are they really being <b>taught</b> these things? In my opinion, no. They are basing reactions on instinct. I would, however, agree that they do have some power of recognition (be it sound or say, a pattern of activity), but that most if not all that they do is governed by instinct.

I can't wait to hear everyone else's opinions on this!

Zoe

[Tim and Julie B]

Not as well spoken as Zoe's but here's my tidbit!(ggod job Zoe)

Well, I can go into the gecko room and walk around, pick stuff up and open cages. You know, regular check-up type stuff. But...................If I go in shaking the feeder dusting bag they all run up to the front of the cages like hungry dogs! They never get the chance to see the feeders as they are in another room, which leads me to believe that they can recognize the sound of that plastic bag with crix in it!
Julie

[Zoe]

hehe thank you Julie!
It is a topic that interests me - because I often see people anthropomorphizing their animals ("my ball pythons only likes when I hold him", etc). I'm not saying this is right or wrong or anything like that, just explaining why it interests me.

Also, someone who read what I wrote told me it sounded like I was "punking neo off". lol. I assure you this wasn't my intention, in case anyone got the same impression after reading my reply

[Tim and Julie B]

I think your reply was well written, properly articulated and valid. I too disagree when people say that their animals "prefer" one person over another, though I suppose it's more of a "possesion" attitude than anything else. Though I do know of several owners/breeders who have a hard time with the handling of reptiles based on gender. (ie. my female leos are less approachable with me than with Tim, I find female animals in general have a weaker bond with me). I think that they basically become "trained" to their daily encounters with us humans.

[Zoe]

Yup I agree... my male IJ is the sweetest little puppy dog all the time, but a few months ago my guy friend was holding him in his lap and all of a sudden I heard a huge hiss coming from the snake! I picked him up, and he was fine again. Go figure!

But I think that had to do with a lot of things - the way he was being held, how my friend smelled, other conditions. I don't think the snake "missed" me and wanted me to pick him up because he didn't like my friend or anything along those lines.

[Colonel SB]

Well Zoe I must say your reply was excellently written and if someone was offended by it then they didn't read it too well. As for the food thing that julie mentioned it is ore likley a conditioned response sort of like pavlov's dogs.

I'm with you on that one 100% Zoe! They say animals can smell fear well they can in a way if you think about it. Aniamls are more intuned to us then we think they are...our body movements, Body Temp and Heart rate is some cases...These are all things animals can sence but we can't, thats why it seems like our animals only want to be held by us because we have the confidence and skill to do it where as non-herpers especally do not. Sorry about the spelling.

[Samba]

I agree with Zoe, Leos probably aren't the Einsteins of the reptiles world, but in my opinion they are a lot 'brighter' then other reptiles I've owned. I am guilty of personifying my geckos, just look in my past posts! I know they don't have half the intelligence of of gerbil, but I do believe they are:

A.) Capable of Learning.
B.) Capable of Recognition.
C.) Capable of Reproducing Leonardo Da Vinci's unique style of patterning ('Blue' period, of course).

Okay the last one I don't believe, but I know when I walk into my room and Girl comes out and looks at me she is trying to say, "Bring me the crickets, bring me the crickets. Hand-Feed me so that I do not have to waste precious time running around like an idiot after these bugs..." I love the way she appears to look deeply and thoughtfully into my eyes as I talk to her. No matter how dumb they really are, I will always love my goofy leos. =)