Glass Thomas W, Copeland Jeffery P, Olson Lucretia E, Waller John S, Squires John R
W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2156 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.
Mov Ecol. 2025 Jun 21;13(1):45. doi: 10.1186/s40462-025-00571-4.
To navigate, animals balance nearby perceptual cues, random search, and memory. Isolating the role of memory, however, remains difficult.
Here, we use a mechanistic movement model to do so, simulating animals responding solely to local perceptual cues (i.e., lacking memory) and comparing their paths with actual routes taken. By comparing route efficiency, we evaluate whether actual routes incorporate knowledge beyond the perceptual range (i.e., spatial memory).
We show that wolverines (Gulo gulo) employ spatial memory to plan routes through a rugged, mountainous landscape. Furthermore, we find that wolverines most commonly plan routes to destinations 5.3-9.8 km ahead. We estimate that route-planning saves wolverines, on average, 19.3 kcal per 135 min of movement.
Our findings provide a template for evaluating how free-living animals recall the world beyond their perceptual range, offer a window into the cognitive mechanics underpinning navigation for this species, and support adding wolverines to the primate-dominated list of species with complex spatial memory.
为了导航，动物会平衡附近的感知线索、随机搜索和记忆。然而，要分离出记忆的作用仍然很困难。
在这里，我们使用一个机械运动模型来做到这一点，模拟仅对局部感知线索做出反应（即缺乏记忆）的动物，并将它们的路径与实际走过的路线进行比较。通过比较路线效率，我们评估实际路线是否纳入了超出感知范围的知识（即空间记忆）。
我们表明，狼獾（貂熊）利用空间记忆来规划穿越崎岖山区的路线。此外，我们发现狼獾最常规划前往前方5.3 - 9.8公里处目的地的路线。我们估计，路线规划平均每135分钟的移动为狼獾节省19.3千卡能量。
我们的研究结果为评估自由生活的动物如何回忆超出其感知范围的世界提供了一个模板，为该物种导航背后的认知机制提供了一个窗口，并支持将狼獾添加到以灵长类动物为主的具有复杂空间记忆的物种列表中。
