Data from: Social learning in otters

The use of information provided by others to tackle life's challenges is widespread, but should not be employed indiscriminately if it is to be adaptive. Evidence is accumulating that animals are indeed selective and adopt ‘social learning strategies’. However, studies have generally focused on fish, bird and primate species. Here we extend research on social learning strategies to a taxonomic group that has been neglected until now: otters (subfamily Lutrinae). We collected social association data on captive groups of two gregarious species: smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata), known to hunt fish cooperatively in the wild, and Asian short-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus), which feed individually on prey requiring extractive foraging behaviours. We then presented otter groups with a series of novel foraging tasks, and inferred social transmission of task solutions with network-based diffusion analysis. We show that smooth-coated otters can socially learn how to exploit novel food sources and may adopt a ‘copy when young’ strategy. We found no evidence for social learning in the Asian short-clawed otters. Otters are thus a promising model system for comparative research into social learning strategies, while conservation reintroduction programmes may benefit from facilitating the social transmission of survival skills in these vulnerable species.

借助他人提供的信息应对生活难题的现象虽已十分普遍，但若要让这种信息利用方式具备适应性，则不可不加甄别地随意使用。越来越多的证据表明，动物确实具备选择能力，并会采用社会学习策略（social learning strategies）。但现有相关研究大多集中于鱼类、鸟类和灵长类动物类群。本研究将社会学习策略的相关研究拓展至此前长期被忽视的一个分类类群：水獭亚科（Lutrinae）动物。我们针对两种群居性圈养水獭类群收集了社会关联数据：一是野生环境中会协同捕鱼的光滑水獭（Lutrogale perspicillata），二是需通过挖掘式觅食行为单独取食猎物的亚洲小爪水獭（Aonyx cinereus）。随后我们为各水獭群体设置了一系列全新觅食任务，并基于网络的扩散分析推断任务解法的社会传播情况。研究结果表明，光滑水獭可通过社会学习掌握开发新型食物来源的方法，且可能采用‘幼年模仿’的社会学习策略。但我们未在亚洲小爪水獭中发现社会学习的相关证据。因此，水獭可作为开展社会学习策略比较研究的理想模型系统；同时，针对这些脆弱物种的保护再引入项目，可通过促进其生存技能的社会传播来提升项目成效。