Page 52 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

24 2 The Cognitive Abilities of Wild Animals

VetBooks.ir 2.5.3 Observational Learning tion, when mothers were foraging with their
attentive calves, the mothers sometimes
Observational learning is a form of social
learning that occurs through watching the would let the prey escape and burrow into
the sand before recapturing the prey, and even
behaviour of others. As a result, we can allowed calves to chase the prey. By altering
assume that learning occurs during observa- their foraging strategies, the mothers
tion. Observation of innovative behaviours increased their calves’ interest in the prey
may result in faster acquisition of adaptive and provided a rich opportunity for the calves
novel behaviours in a group, but in doing so, to learn foraging behaviours through the pro-
may also enhance an individual member’s cess of observational learning.
chances of surviving and reproducing (Yeater A major preoccupation for animals in the
and Kuczaj 2010). Observational learning wild is to avoid predators, so we would expect
has been reported in free‐ranging individuals natural selection to favour the ability to learn
of many species, especially non‐human such things as recognising a predator,
primates, but also many other mammals as responding appropriately to different kinds of
well as avian species. predators, and avoiding places where preda-
One of the most well‐known examples of
observational learning is that wild and labo- tors are likely to be. In turn, we would expect
predators to learn how to recognise prey, how
ratory rats gain information about both the to respond to the prey animal’s antipredator
saliency and noxiousness of unfamiliar foods behaviours, and where to find the best places
by observing others (Galef et al. 1984). Many to encounter prey. Much research has been
rodents, both laboratory and free‐roaming, undertaken on alarm calls, which in a num-
avoid unfamiliar foods and rely instead on ber of species such as vervet monkeys C.
social experience to inform them of the rela- aethiops (Seyfarth and Cheney 1986) and
tive safety of new food sources. Consider for Belding’s ground squirrels Spermophilus
a moment if animals needed to directly sam- beldingi (Mateo 1996; Mateo and Holmes
ple all unfamiliar foods themselves. In such a 1997) are specific for different categories of
scenario, there would be a very high risk of predators, promote different responses when
consuming an item that could be highly heard by others, and are learning from other
toxic, which would have a fatal consequence members of the group (Griffin 2004; Hollén
for the individual. Opportunities to learn and Radford 2009). Some animals also learn
how food items should be most efficiently and respond to the alarm calls of other spe-
processed or obtained prior to eating can cies. For example fairy wrens (Malurus cya­
come from observing others as well. Through neus) learn the acoustically similar alarm calls
observational learning, great tits have also of the scrub wren (Sericornis frontalis), and
been able to successfully learn how to peck also the acoustically dissimilar calls of the
through the sealed caps of milk bottles to honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
obtain the milk within. (Magrath et al. 2009). Predators, of course,
Dolphins have also demonstrated the use
of social learning. Bender et al. (2009) found have to learn something about prey too.
Meerkats (Suricata suricatta), for example,
that Atlantic spotted dolphin mothers teach their pups prey‐handling skills by pro-
(Stenella frontalis) used observational learn- viding them with opportunities to interact
ing to teach their calves foraging techniques. with live prey (Thornton and McAuliffe
Mothers chased prey for longer periods of 2006). And prey species are likely to evolve
time and made more referential body pointing antipredator strategies where the predator
movements while foraging when naive calves may need to learn a discrimination or a new
were present, suggesting that such behaviours behaviour. Some prey species evolve apose-
provide extended opportunities for the calves matic colouration, warning potential preda-
to observe the mother’s behaviour. In addi-
tors that they are distasteful, toxic, or in some