Figure 1. Images of wild raccoons interacting with the single-solution box (top) and the multi-solution box (bottom). All of the doors on the single-solution box could be opened in the same way by sliding the horizontal bolt latch to the right (H). The doors on the multi-solution box could be opened in one of four ways: (H) a side-pull bolt latch (same as the single-solution box), (R) a rod removal and eye hole latch, (V) a pull-down bolt latch, and (S) an up-down swivel latch.
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UC-Berkeley - July 25, 2024: How urban raccoons adapt to new foraging challenges
The Jill Bennett Show: Raccoons could be smarter than we thought!
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Lauren A. Stanton, Carissa Cooley-Ackermann, Emily C. Davis, Rachel E. Fanelli, and Sarah Benson-Amram. 2024. Wild raccoons demonstrate flexibility and individuality in innovative problem-solving. Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Abstract
Cognitive skills, such as innovative problem-solving, are hypothesized to aid animals in urban environments. However, the significance of innovation in wild populations, and its expression across individuals and socio-ecological conditions, is poorly understood. To identify how and when innovation arises in urban-dwelling species, we used advanced technologies and new testing and analytical methods to evaluate innovative problem-solving abilities of wild raccoons (Procyon lotor). We deployed multi-compartment puzzle boxes with either one or multiple solution types and identified raccoons using radio frequency identification. Raccoons solved these novel extractive foraging tasks, and their success was influenced by age and exploratory diversity. Successful raccoons always discovered multiple different solution types, highlighting flexible problem-solving. Using a unique, comparative sequence analysis approach, we found that variation in raccoon solving techniques was greater between individuals than within individuals, and this self-similarity intensified during times of competition. Finally, the inclusion of an easier solution in the multi-solution trials enabled previously unsuccessful raccoons to bootstrap their learning and successfully open multiple difficult solutions. Our study suggests that innovative problem-solving is probably influenced by many factors and has provided novel field and analytical methods, as well as new insights on the socio-ecological dynamics of urban populations.