REAL LIFE NEWS: SQUIRRELS CAN REMEMBER HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
by Hazed
Squirrels have good memories which they use to remember where they buried their nuts, but researchers have now discovered that the fluffy rodents can also remember problem-solving techniques. What’s more, they can apply those techniques to new situations.
Scientists from the University of Exeter found that grey squirrels retained the knowledge of how to solve a problem even after two years, and were quickly able to apply the skills in a redesigned version of the test.
Anyone who has tried to stop squirrels stealing the nuts from a bird feeder will attest to this. Dr Pizza Ka Yee Chow, of Exeter's Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour said, "People may try different types of bird feeders to keep the squirrels away, but this research shows grey squirrels can not only remember tricks for getting food but can apply those skills in new situations." He explained, "This might be why grey squirrels can survive very well in towns and cities."
22 months ago, the scientists gave five squirrels a task involving pressing levers to get hazelnuts. They improved with practice – their first attempt took eight seconds to solve, but by the final time they got it down to two seconds.
Fast forward to the present, and the squirrels were presented with the problem again. The first time, they took an average of just three seconds to get a nut.
When the squirrels were tasked with a problem that looked different but required the same technique, at first they hesitated for more than 20 seconds before starting the task, but once they got going they only took an average of two seconds to obtain a hazelnut, showing that they could recall the technique learned earlier, and apply it to a different form of the puzzle.
This research shows a different kind of memory from that used to remember their nut hiding places. The co-author of the study, Dr Théo Robert, explained: "This is not just remembering where things have been left, it shows they can recall techniques which they have not used for a long time. "It's also different from what we see in the wild because they're remembering things for longer than the few months of memory needed to find hidden food."
Source: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-squirrels-memory-problem.html
