Scholarly Article - Self-Control in Sea Lions

In 2005, a study was conducted to analyze self-control in sea lions and compare their results to that of primates. Four sea lions were tested on a reverse-reward contingency task. Each was presented with a choice between two amounts of food (fish), one which was larger than the other. They then received the opposite amount from the one they chose. Every sea lion chose the larger amount on the first trial, but three of the four were able to learn to choose the smaller amount with consistency.

A sea lion stands before the testing apparatus, anxiously awaiting his dinner.

Although primates are amoung the most social of animals, their self-control measured lower in tests than did that of sea lions

Similar studies have been conducted on sevearl species of primates, including, Japanes macaques, squirrel monkeys, lemurs, chimpanzees, tamarins and orangutans, and this study sought to examine self-control in a non-primate species. The study states, "Marine mammals are of special interest because their brain is broadly comparable to that of primates (Jerison 1973) and their learning skills have often been exploited in animal shows and military experiments." In addition, few cognitive studies have ever been conducted on sea lions, or similar marine species. It turns out that the sea lions were able to learn to choose the lesser amount more quickly than any primate, performing most similarly to the orangutans, which performed the best out of the primates. It is believed that primate self-control is realated to their social structure and hierachy, in which lower ranking individuals may have to wait their turn. Sea lions have a harem type of social organization, but theyhunt alone during the day and thus do not have to compete directly with conspecifics for fish; therefore they do not need to be impulsive. This could explain their stellar performance in self-control.