Research in UK shows invasive species bests
native red squirrels in complex tasks
Tue 20 Feb 2018 06.00 GMTLast
modified on Tue 20 Feb 2018 09.06 GMT
The ability to solve problems may explain why
grey squirrels are thriving at the expense of native red ones in the UK,
research suggests.
Wild greys and reds were presented with an
easy task (opening a transparent lid) and a difficult version (a more complex
process of pushing and pulling levers) to get hazelnuts.
The two species were equally successful at
the easy task, but more of the grey squirrels cracked the trickier one.
Researchers from Exeter and Edinburgh
universities said this “superior behavioural flexibility” may explain the
success of the greys.
Red squirrels have lived in the UK for
thousands of years, but grey squirrels – which arrived from North America in
the 19th century – now
outnumber them by more than 15 to one.
“Many
factors have been considered to explain why grey squirrels are more successful
when they move into areas where red squirrels live,” said Pizza Ka Yee Chow,
of Exeter’s
centre for research in animal behaviour.
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!