Data from: Thinking outside the box: problem-solving in free-living lizards

Despite evidence that organisms are more likely to exhibit their full
range of cognitive abilities under conditions found in nature, studies
evaluating cognition under such conditions remain rare, particularly in
vertebrate species. Here we conducted an experiment to evaluate problem
solving and motor-self regulation in free-living arboreal lizards, Anolis
sagrei, under natural conditions. We presented lizards with a novel detour
problem which challenged individuals to circumvent a transparent barrier
in order to obtain a food reward. Individuals varied in their ability to
solve the detour problem. Furthermore, those that solved the problem were
able to improve their performance across trials by modifying the natural
response of attempting to strike the reward trough the transparent
barrier, providing evidence of motor self-regulation. Solving the problem
required individuals to modify their typical foraging behavior, as
approaching the prey in a single burst of movement that culminated with an
attack was an unsuccessful strategy. Contrary to expectations our findings
provide evidence of motor self-regulation in a visually-oriented,
sit-and-wait predator under natural conditions, suggesting
motor-self-regulation is not limited by foraging strategy. Our results
also underscore the need to evaluate the cognitive abilities of
free-living organisms in the wild, particularly for taxa that perform
poorly under laboratory conditions.