Alvaro Lopez Caicoya, Ph.D.
Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN)
Working Group Psychophysiology
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Working Group Psychophysiology
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Research interests
I am interested in understanding the behavior, cognition, and emotional states of animals. I have worked on the welfare and cognition of ungulates in zoos. Currently, I am focused on understanding how pigs cooperate and help each other. The objective of my research is to better understand social groups and apply better management practices for captive animals.
- Animal Cognition
- Animal behaviour
- Animal welfare
Curriculum Vitae
- Since 2023: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Germany
- 2018 – 2023: PhD, University of Barcelona, Spain. Topic: “Cognition in ungulates: a new perspective in the evolutionary field”
- 2017 - Research assistant: Innovation in wild barbary macaques
- 2016 - Master in Research in Behaviour and Cognition
Publications
Schaffer, A.; Caicoya, A. L.; Widdig, A.; Holland, R.; Amici, F. (2024):
Quantity discrimination in 9 ungulate species: Individuals take item number and size into account to discriminate quantities
Cognition 254, 105979, 1-10
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04275-6
Berardo, C.; Holland, R.; Schaffer, A.; Lopéz Caicoya, A.; Liebal, K.; Valsecchi, P.; Amici, F. (2024):
Perception of optical illusions in ungulates: insights from goats, sheep, guanacos and llamas
Animal Cognition 27: 40, 1-11
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01878-2
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Schaffer, A.; Holland, R.; von Fersen, L.; Colell, M.; Amici, F. (2023):
Innovation across 13 ungulate species: problem solvers are less integrated in the social group and less neophobic
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2384
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Amici, F. (2023):
Giraffes make decisions based on statistical information
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32615-3
Amici, F.; Widdig, A.; MacIntosh, A.J.J.; Francés, V.B.; Castellano-Navarro, A.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Karimullah, K.; Maulany, R.I.; Ngakan, P.O.; Hamzah, A.S.; Majolo, B. (2021):
Giraffes go for more: a quantity discrimination study in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)
ANIMAL COGNITION
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01442-8
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Ensenyat, C.; Amici, F. (2021):
Dominance style predicts differences in food retrieval strategies
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82198-0
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Amici, F.; Ensenyat, C.; Colell, M. (2021):
Problem solving in European bison (Bison bonasus): two experimental approaches
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201901
Schaffer, A.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Holland, R.; von Fersen, L.; Widdig, A.; Amici, F. (2021):
Comparative cognition in three understudied ungulate species: European bison, forest buffalos and giraffes
FRONTIERS IN ZOOLOGY
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-021-00417-w
Amici, F.; Widdig, A.; ; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Majolo, B. (2021):
Neophobia in 10 ungulate species-a comparative approach
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03041-0
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Holland, R.; Ensenyat, C.; Amici, F. (2021):
Intra-specific Variation in the Social Behavior of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
Frontiers in Psychology
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.666166
Amici, F.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Majolo, B.; Widdig, A. (2020):
Innovation in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61558-2
Schaffer, A.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Colell, M.; Holland, R.; Ensenyat, C.; Amici, F. (2020):
Gaze following in ungulates: domesticated and non-domesticated species follow the gaze of both humans and conspecifics in an experimental context
Frontiers in Psychology
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.604904
Gomez-Melara, J.L.; Acosta-Naranjo, R.; Castellano-Navarro, A.; Francés, VB; Lopez Caicoya, A.; MacIntosh, A.J.J.; Maulany, R.I.; Ngakan, P.O.; Amici, F. (2020):
Dominance style only partially predicts differences in neophobia and social tolerance over food in four macaque species
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79246-6
Lopez Caicoya, A.; Amici, F.; Ensenyat, C.; Colell, M. (2019):
Object Permanence in Giraffa camelopardalis: First Steps in Giraffes' Physical Cognition
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY
https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000142
Gómez-Laplaza, L.M.; Lopez Caicoya, A.; Gerlai, R. (2017):
Quantity discrimination in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) is maintained after a 30-s retention interval in the large but not in the small number range
ANIMAL COGNITION
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-017-1104-8