Data and R code used for the GLMM and NBDA analyses in 'Captive Asian short-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus) learn to exploit unfamiliar natural prey'

Foraging plays a vital role in animal life histories, learning whether unfamiliar food items are palatable is a key part of this process. Animals that engage in extractive foraging must also learn how to overcome the protective measures of their prey. While otters (subfamily Lutrinae) are a taxon known for their extractive foraging behaviour, how they learn about prey palatability and acquire extractive foraging techniques remains poorly understood. Here we investigated: (i) how captive Asian short-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus) learned to interact with, and extract meat from, unfamiliar natural prey, and (ii) how their exploitation of such prey compared to their ability to overcome artificial foraging tasks containing familiar food rewards. Network-based diffusion analysis showed that otters learned to interact with unfamiliar natural prey by observing their group mates. However, once interacting with the prey, they learned to extract the meat mainly asocially. In addition, otters took...觅食行为在动物生活史中发挥着至关重要的作用，其中辨别陌生食物是否适口是该过程的核心环节之一。从事提取式觅食（extractive foraging）的动物，还需学会破解猎物的防御机制。尽管水獭属于以提取式觅食行为著称的分类群（Lutrinae亚科），但它们如何学习辨识猎物适口性、掌握提取式觅食技能的相关机制，目前仍鲜为人知。本研究围绕两个核心问题展开探究：(1) 圈养亚洲小爪水獭（Aonyx cinereus）如何学会与陌生天然猎物互动，并从中获取肉类；(2) 它们对这类天然猎物的利用表现，与完成带有熟悉食物奖励的人工觅食任务的能力相比存在何种差异。基于网络的扩散分析（network-based diffusion analysis）结果显示，水獭通过观察同伴学会与陌生天然猎物互动；但在接触猎物后，它们主要通过非社交性学习掌握取肉技能。此外，水獭的……