Legg Edward W, Clayton Nicola S
Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK,
Anim Cogn. 2014 Sep;17(5):1223-6. doi: 10.1007/s10071-014-0743-2. Epub 2014 Mar 18.
Animals that cache food risk having their stored food pilfered by conspecifics. Previous research has shown that a number of food-caching species of corvid use strategies that decrease the probability of conspecifics pilfering their caches. In this experiment, we investigated whether Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) would choose between caching behind an opaque and caching behind a transparent barrier whilst being observed by a conspecific. If caching in out-of-sight locations is a strategy to prevent conspecifics from pilfering these caches, then the jays should place a greater proportion of caches behind the opaque barrier when being observed than when caching in private. In accordance with this prediction, jays cached a greater proportion of food behind the opaque barrier when they were observed than when they cached in private. These results suggest that Eurasian jays may opt to cache in out-of-view locations to reduce the likelihood of conspecifics pilfering their caches.
储存食物的动物面临着所储存食物被同种个体偷窃的风险。先前的研究表明，一些鸦科储食物种会采用策略来降低同种个体偷窃它们储存食物的概率。在本实验中，我们研究了松鸦（Garrulus glandarius）在被同种个体观察时，是否会在不透明屏障后储存食物和在透明屏障后储存食物之间做出选择。如果在视线外的地方储存食物是一种防止同种个体偷窃这些储存食物的策略，那么松鸦在被观察时，应该会比在单独储存时将更大比例的食物储存在不透明屏障后。与这一预测相符的是，松鸦在被观察时比单独储存时，将更大比例的食物储存在不透明屏障后。这些结果表明，松鸦可能会选择在视线外的地方储存食物，以降低同种个体偷窃它们储存食物的可能性。
