Foraging under unpleasant or risky conditions provides valuable insight into how animals adapt behaviorally and cognitively. Tuhin Subhra Pal and colleagues (2025) investigated how age, sex, and sensory cues influence scavenging behavior in free-ranging dogs (FRDs) when confronted with varying concentrations of lemon juice (25%, 33.3%, and 50%).
The experiment involved 73 juvenile FRDs, whose responses were compared with previously collected adult data. Results revealed that juvenile dogs exhibited more consistent but less flexible foraging behavior, likely reflecting inexperience and ongoing cognitive development. In contrast, adult dogs selectively avoided high acidity, demonstrating more deliberate and adaptive foraging strategies.
Sex differences were also noted, with males showing higher tolerance to aversive acidity. Behavioral analyses using Markov chains suggested that adults engaged in repetitive evaluation before consuming food, while juveniles relied more on emerging strategy-making behaviors, gradually building adaptive skills.
These findings underscore the dynamic interaction between developmental stage, sensory processing, and individual variation in shaping foraging strategies. The study provides new perspectives on the cognitive underpinnings of scavenging in complex, human-dominated urban ecosystems where aversive stimuli are common.
Source: Pal, T. S., Debnath, P., Biswas, S., & Bhadra, A. (2025). Lemons and Learning: Adult and Juvenile Free-Ranging Dogs Navigate Aversive Foraging Challenges Differently. Authors: Tuhin Subhra Pal, Pratyay Debnath, Subhasis Biswas, Anindita Bhadra. Publication Date: April 10, 2025. Journal: Biology.
