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Cited by 49Olfactory and Sensory Function StudiesPrimate Behavior and EcologyAnimal Behavior and Welfare Studies

Successful acquisition of an olfactory discrimination test by Asian elephants, Elephas maximus

Arvidsson, Josefin, Amundin, Mats, Laska, Matthias·2012·Physiology & Behavior
DOI 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.08.021
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Abstract

The present study demonstrates that Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, can successfully be trained to cooperate in an olfactory discrimination test based on a food-rewarded two-alternative instrumental conditioning procedure. The animals learned the basic principle of the test within only 60 trials and readily mastered intramodal stimulus transfer tasks. Further, they were capable of distinguishing between structurally related odor stimuli and remembered the reward value of previously learned odor stimuli after 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks of recess without any signs of forgetting. The precision and consistency of the elephants' performance in tests of odor discrimination ability and long-term odor memory demonstrate the suitability of this method for assessing olfactory function in this proboscid species. An across-species comparison of several measures of olfactory learning capabilities such as speed of initial task acquisition and ability to master intramodal stimulus transfer tasks shows that Asian elephants are at least as good in their performance as mice, rats, and dogs, and clearly superior to nonhuman primates and fur seals. The results support the notion that Asian elephants may use olfactory cues for social communication and food selection and that the sense of smell may play an important role in the control of their behavior.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.08.021

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  • Asian elephants can learn to discriminate between structurally related chemical odorants in object-choice tasks, including chemical structures that only differ by one carbon.

    “Asian elephants can learn to discriminate between structurally related chemical odorants in object-choice tasks (Arvidsson et al., 2012; Rizvanovic et al., 2013), including chemical structures that only differ by one carbon (Rizvanovic et al., 2013).”

    From Do elephants really never forget? What we know about elephant memory and a call for further investigation (2025) · cites this paper as Arvidsson et al., 2012

  • Asian elephants retain knowledge of which odors were rewarded and maintain accuracy when tested after 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks and, in another study, after 3 weeks and 1 year.

    “They also retain knowledge of which odors were rewarded and maintain accuracy when tested after 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks (Arvidsson et al., 2012) and, in another study, after 3 weeks and 1 year (Rizvanovic, 2012).”

    From Do elephants really never forget? What we know about elephant memory and a call for further investigation (2025) · cites this paper as Arvidsson et al., 2012

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Authors
Arvidsson, J., Amundin, M., & Laska, M.
Affiliations
Linköping University (SE)
Corresponding author
Laska, Matthias
ORCID
Venue
Physiology & Behavior
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-02
Volume
105
Issue
3
Pages
809-814
ISSN
0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.08.021
OpenAlex
W2107329463
Cited by
49
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 2
FWCI
1.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
Keywords
Asian elephant, odor discrimination, olfactory memory, olfactory learning, operant conditioning, long-term memory retention, Proboscidea, olfactory communication, food choice
MeSH terms
Animals, Behavior, Animal, Choice Behavior, Conditioning, Operant, Cues, Discrimination, Psychological, Elephants, Female, Food Preferences, Memory, Odorants, Reward, Smell, Transfer, Psychology, Statistics, Nonparametric

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