Cache protection strategies of a scatter-hoarding rodent: do tree squirrels engage in behavioural deception?

Steele, Michael; Halkin, Sylvia L.; Smallwood, Peter D.; McKenna, T.J.; Mitsopoulos, Katerina; Beam, Matthew

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.026

Cited by 69 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…To reduce the likelihood of theft, scatter hoarders have been shown to space caches out in a manner that reduces theft (Galvez et al 2009), take seeds to areas of lower seed density (Hirsch et al 2012b), make false caches in the presence of potential thieves (Steele et al 2008) and deposit caches out of view of potential robbers (Dally et al 2005a). It is possible that the cache surveillance behaviours reported here could tip-off potential cache thieves to the location of caches, thus increasing theft rates (Dally et al 2005a(Dally et al , b, 2006Steele et al 2008;Pravosudov 2008;). On one occasion, our cameras observed a cache owner usurped by another agouti while in the process of retrieving a cache (Supplementary Video S1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for cache surveillance by a scatter-hoarding rodent

2013

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for cache surveillance by a scatter-hoarding rodent

2013

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“…We chose grey squirrels as a study species because field studies have shown that they adjust their food protection tactics flexibly under intra-conspecific food competition Hopewell, Leaver, & Lea, 2008;Leaver, Hopewell, Caldwell, & Mallarky, 2007;Schmidt & Ostfeld, 2008;Steele, et al, 2008), so it is reasonable to suppose that this species would also show flexibility in spatial learning. Also, grey squirrels are scatter-hoarders and cache thousands of nuts every year (Thompson & Thompson, 1980), so the number of locations they were required to remember in this task should not pose a problem for them.…”

Section: Memory Previous Memories Are Certainly Not Completely Erasementioning

confidence: 99%

Serial reversal learning in gray squirrels: Learning efficiency as a function of learning and change of tactics.

Chow¹,

Leaver²,

Wang³

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cogniti

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Learning allows individuals to adapt their behaviours flexibly to changing environment. When the same change recurs repeatedly, acquiring relevant tactics may increase learning efficiency under recurring change. We examined this relationship, along with the effects of proactive interference and other interference information, in a serial spatial reversal task with five grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Squirrels completed an acquisition and 11 reversal phases with a poke box in which two out of four possible reward locations were baited diagonally in a square array. In this situation, an efficient tactic is to locate the diagonally related locations consecutively (integrative search tactic) instead of searching rewards in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction (sequential search tactic). All the squirrels formed a learning set acquiring successive reversals in fewer trials. Although four individuals gradually employed more integrative tactics in locating the rewards both within and between phases, sequential tactics were used in the first trial of each phase. This suggests the integrative tactic did not depend on an association between the rewarded locations but was learned as a spatial pattern and/or by use of extra-apparatus cues to locate individual reward. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models showed that learning efficiency increased with experience and tactic change. Although tactic change partially mediated the effect of learning on learning efficiency, learning retained an independent contribution to improved efficiency. Squirrels that used integrative tactics more made less total errors than squirrels that used less; suggesting learning a task relevant tactic using spatial cues can provide direct benefits in maximising rewards and minimising time costs.

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“…Social context (i.e., presence or absence of competitors) appears to be pivotal to the expression of cache protection behaviors. Deceptive behavior in the tree squirrel has been observed with respect to food protection [15]. While patrolling, tree squirrels visit the cache locations and check on their food.…”

Section: Cache Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of particular use in this study is an interesting deceptive behavior observed in the food protection strategy of certain squirrels [15]. Social context (i.e., presence or absence of competitors) appears to be pivotal to the expression of cache protection behaviors.…”

Section: Cache Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biologically-Inspired Deceptive Behavior for a Robot

Shim

Arkin

2012

From Animals to Animats 12

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Abstract.A common behavior in animals or human beings is deception. We focus on deceptive behavior in robotics because the appropriate use of deception is beneficial in several domains ranging from the military to a more everyday context. In this research, novel algorithms are developed for the deceptive behavior of a robot, inspired by the observed deceptive behavior of squirrels for cache protection strategies, evaluating the results via simulation studies.

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Cache protection strategies of a scatter-hoarding rodent: do tree squirrels engage in behavioural deception?

Cited by 69 publications

References 39 publications

Evidence for cache surveillance by a scatter-hoarding rodent

Evidence for cache surveillance by a scatter-hoarding rodent

Serial reversal learning in gray squirrels: Learning efficiency as a function of learning and change of tactics.

Biologically-Inspired Deceptive Behavior for a Robot

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