Data from: Quantity discrimination, decision-making, and the role of early-life conditions in a lizard

Quantity discrimination affects a range of behaviours essential for
fitness, including social interactions, navigation, and foraging, and is
widespread across animal taxa. However, in reptiles, evidence for this
ability—particularly for small number contrasts—remains limited and mixed.
Early-life conditions, such as hormonal exposure and temperature, can also
shape brain development and cognitive performance, potentially affecting
numerical abilities. Here, we tested the ability of the common garden
skink (Lampropholis guichenoti) to discriminate between quantities and the
effects of elevated prenatal GCs and incubation temperature on quantity
discrimination and decision-making. We assessed quantity discrimination
using a spontaneous choice test with food as a stimulus. We subjected
lizards to five two-choice tests differing in the number of items (1 VS 4,
1 VS 3, 2 VS 4, 2 VS 3, 3 VS 4) while controlling for total length and
area. Contrary to our predictions, we found no evidence of quantity
discrimination in L. guichenoti. Furthermore, prenatal conditions did not
influence their performance or decision-making. Despite these results,
further investigation of quantity discrimination in live-prey-feeding
reptiles and the impact of early conditions on other taxa remains an
important area of research.