For humans, cracking a complicated puzzle often involves more than persistence — it requires thinking creatively and testing many possible solutions. A new study suggests the same holds true for hyenas.
Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) studied wild spotted hyenas trying to open a steel puzzle box containing raw meat in Kenya. The box could be opened by sliding a bolt latch, but just nine out of 62 hyenas successfully opened it. The hyenas that solved the puzzle tested more potential solutions — including biting, flipping or pushing the box — than the ones that failed, the researchers said. However, sheer persistence didn't pay off.
"While those who gave up quickly were more likely to fail, some hyenas that spent more time with the puzzle box appeared to get stuck in a rut and would often try the same solutions over and over again," zoology graduate student Sarah Benson-Amram said in a statement from MSU.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!