Abstract

The field of comparative psychology has traditionally focussed on investigating the cognitive abilities of a small number of mammal and bird species, but in order to understand the evolution of cognition, it is essential to examine cognitive abilities across a large range of vertebrates. Reptiles are particularly interesting in this context as they represent a key amniotic Class that do not develop under high, stable temperatures, which can produce phenotypic variation in the population. As their patterns of development differ substantially from those of birds and mammals reptiles can be used to investigate fundamental questions relating to factors shaping cognition; questions that cannot be asked in mammals and birds. In this review, we highlight some of these areas of interest and consider how the emerging field of reptile cognition can address crucial questions in cognitive science.