Social learning could then be measured by seeing whether close associates learned quickly from each other.
The otters were given five variations of the puzzle box, each with a meatball visible inside. The method to extract the food varied in each version—with solutions including pulling a tab and opening a flap.Of the 20 otters in the study, 11 managed to extract the meat from all three types of natural prey.
"Asian short-clawed otter populations are declining in the wild, and understanding their behavior can help in the development of conservation and reintroduction programs," said Saliveros. "The captive otters in this study initially struggled with natural prey, but they showed they can learn how to extract the food.
"Our findings suggest that if you give one otter pre-release training, it can pass some of that information on to others."
UniofExeter RSocPublishing What's your favorite joke? 'Where do otters come from? Otter space' 😊 annecarson
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