Young pygmy raccoons on a Mexican island have been seen teaching each other to make toy balls out of rubbish, in a rare example of animals crafting objects purely for playing with. Orcas have begun wearing salmon hats again – and we may soon know why O’Neil filmed as one of the younger raccoons fished paper out of a rubbish bin, dipped it in a bowl of water and rolled it in sand, making a ball. Over days of observation, she recorded the creatures as they made more balls and used them to play “football” with other raccoons and dwarf coatis (Nasua narica nelsoni), another raccoon-like animal.
Siblings taught each other the ball-making procedure, and even tried to get their mother involved, though she couldn’t quite figure it out – her coordination seemed to have been impaired after drinking a margarita she found at a beach bar earlier that day. O’Neil’s colleague at Miami University, Michelle Szydlowski, was impressed by the footage. While others have watched animals like chimps or tigers at play, researchers have seldom seen animals custom-making toys for later use.
There are fewer than 200 pygmy raccoons on Cozumel, the only place the species is found. Understanding how they learn from each other might help conservationists discourage unhealthy behaviours like stealing margaritas and begging for snacks, and reacquaint them with foraging in the wild. And O’Neil hopes increased awareness of the animals will bring more support.
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