Raccoons solve puzzles for fun, study finds
Researchers believe the raccoons were 'information foraging'.
A new study has suggested that raccoons may enjoy solving puzzles, even when there is no food reward.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia suggest they may have an intrinsic motivation beyond hunger, known as ‘information foraging’.
The study saw raccoons faced with a custom, multi-access puzzle box. The box featured a number of interactive mechanisms including latches, sliding doors and knobs.
The boxes each had nine entry points, grouped as easy, medium and hard.
Each puzzle box contained a single marshmallow, which the raccoons had 20 minutes to reach. However, even after eating the marshmallow, the raccoons continued to try opening the other mechanisms.
If the solution was easy, researchers saw the raccoons explore the puzzle box broadly, trying multiple openings and varying the order.
Where the task was more difficult, the raccoons were more likely to favour a dependable solution. They still explored multiple solutions, though, even at the hardest level.
Researchers believe this demonstrates the raccoons basing their strategy on cost and risk, much like the decision-making frameworks of humans.
Researcher Hannah Griebling said: “It’s a pattern familiar to anyone ordering at a restaurant,
“Do you order your favourite dish or try something new? If the risk is high—an expensive meal you might not like—you choose the safe option. Raccoons explore when the cost is low and quickly decide to play it safe when the stakes are higher.”
Raccoons’ forepaws, with sensory nerves for foraging in streams, proved well-suited for manipulating latches and handles. Combined with their problem-solving skills, raccoons proved to have an advantage for scavenging in complex environments.
While this study focussed on captive animals, researchers believe behaviours would be similar in wild raccoons.
Ms Griebling said: “Understanding the cognitive traits that help raccoons thrive can guide management of species that struggle, and inform strategies for other species, like bears, that use problem-solving to access human-made resources.”
Dr Sarah Benson-Amram added: “Raccoon intelligence has long featured in folklore, yet scientific research on their cognition remains limited. Studies like this provide empirical evidence to support that reputation.”
The full study can be found in the journal Animal Behaviour.
Image © Hannah Griebling
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