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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Non-aversive Animal Restraint Enabling Recording of Optomotor Reflex in Ground Squirrels

Non-aversive Animal Restraint Enabling Recording of Optomotor Reflex in Ground Squirrels

Published on: July 25, 2025

How habitat features shape ground squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi) navigation.

Jason N Bruck¹, Jill M Mateo

¹Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. jbruck@uchicago.edu

Journal of Comparative Psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)

|May 19, 2010

Summary

Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) from areas with more environmental landmarks learned spatial memory tasks faster. This suggests ecology influences navigation strategies in these rodents.

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Assessing Spatial Learning and Memory in Small Squamate Reptiles

Assessing Spatial Learning and Memory in Small Squamate Reptiles

Published on: January 3, 2017

Area of Science:

Animal Behavior
Ecology
Neuroscience

Background:

Spatial memory is crucial for animal survival and navigation.
Environmental factors, such as landmark availability, may influence the development of spatial memory.
Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) provide a model for studying these relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if Urocitellus beldingi from areas with varying landmark densities exhibit differences in spatial memory performance.
To assess the impact of environmental experience on spatial memory acquisition in Urocitellus beldingi.
To explore the role of landmark navigation in spatial learning.

Main Methods:

Squirrels were captured from beacon-dense and beacon-thin habitats over two summers.
A radial maze task, interspersed with beacons, was used to measure spatial memory (trials to criterion).
Environmental experience was controlled by comparing wild-born and lab-born squirrels; landmark visibility was manipulated in year 2.

Main Results:

Squirrels from beacon-dense areas consistently outperformed those from beacon-thin areas in the spatial memory task.
A minor effect of rearing environment (wild vs. lab) was observed in one year.
No significant sex differences in maze performance were detected, despite known sex differences in adult spatial abilities.

Conclusions:

Environmental richness, specifically landmark availability, significantly impacts spatial memory performance in Urocitellus beldingi.
Navigation strategies can vary based on ecological context and population-specific experiences.
Future research should consider ecological and population factors, beyond species and sex, when evaluating spatial cognition.