Social learning in a nocturnal marsupial: is it a possum-ability?

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Animal Cognition
• Invasive Species Management

Background:

• Social learning reduces individual trial-and-error costs.
• Potential role of social learning in invasive species' adaptive behaviors, such as trap avoidance, is largely unexplored.
• Common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is an invasive marsupial with limited research on its social learning capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and extent of social learning in the common brushtail possum.
• To determine if possums can acquire foraging skills through observation.
• To assess the implications of social learning for managing invasive possum populations.

Main Methods:

• Wild-caught 'demonstrator' possums were habituated to puzzle devices containing food rewards in large outdoor enclosures.
• 'Observer' possums were housed in adjacent pens, allowing visual observation of demonstrators for five nights.
• Observers were subsequently presented with the same puzzle devices to assess their problem-solving success rate.

Main Results:

• Demonstrator possums showed varying success rates in solving the puzzle devices.
• All 15 observer possums successfully solved the puzzle devices on their first night of opportunity.
• This represents a statistically significant improvement, strongly indicating successful social learning.

Conclusions:

• The study provides robust evidence for social learning in the common brushtail possum.
• Observed possums rapidly acquired foraging skills by watching conspecifics.
• Findings suggest potential for social transmission of information regarding aversive stimuli (e.g., traps, baits), impacting pest control strategies.