These Adorable, Critically Endangered Pygmy Raccoons in Cozumel Are Teaching One Another to Turn Trash Into Toy Balls
4 Articles
4 Articles
These Adorable, Critically Endangered Pygmy Raccoons in Cozumel Are Teaching One Another to Turn Trash Into Toy Balls
The observations offer rare evidence of a skill being passed among raccoons. But the work also highlights the effects of human pollution at the popular tourist destination
Two young pygmy raccoons on Cozumel pulled napkins and receipts out of a beach club bin, dipped them in a water bowl and rolled them in sand into balls, then batted the balls around in play, a sequence the researchers say has not been reported in any raccoon species before
Across 64 hours of watching at a single beach club, the team logged 14 ball-making attempts and eight finished balls, and recorded no ball-making at all at a comparable site roughly 30 kilometres away.
Researchers wanted to see what the impact of tourism is on a group of pygmy raccoons, but they discovered something completely different: two animals were making their own paper balls to play with. The pygmy raccoon is a critically endangered species, which is now found only on the Mexican island of Cozumel. It is therefore logical that the population is closely monitored […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl .
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