Two juvenile pygmy raccoons on Mexico’s Cozumel Island made balls from discarded paper, researchers report. The study says the behavior may be socially learned; fewer than 200 critically endangered pygmy raccoons live on the island, according to the IUCN Red List.
The sisters used paper from trash bins—including napkins, wrappers and receipts—which they dipped in water and rolled against sand. Of 14 attempts, eight produced completed balls and six were unsuccessful or incomplete. Two juvenile dwarf coatis also played with the balls; raccoons at a similar beach site with access to paper and water did not try making them.
Their mother tried to make a ball but abandoned the effort after failing to retrieve a paper towel from a bowl of water. The study suggests an earlier ounce of margarita from an unattended drink may have affected her dexterity. Researchers say studying learned behavior can help conservationists understand how animals acquire skills, including harmful ones, and how such behaviors can disappear when small endangered groups die out.
