Banded mongoose role models teach behaviors that last a lifetime, highlighting the importance of culturally learned behaviors. ➡ Subscribe: bit.ly/NatGeoWILDSubscribe About Nat Geo Wild: Welcome to a place so wild, anything can happen. Nat Geo Wild is the network all about animals from National Geographic, where every story is an adventure and your imagination is allowed to run wild. Get More Nat Geo Wild: Official Site: bit.ly/NatGeoWILD Facebook: bit.ly/NGWFacebook Twitter: bit.ly/NGWTwitter Instagram: bit.ly/NGWInstagram This adult and “mini-me” banded mongoose pair has a very special relationship. The adult essentially serves as a nanny and role model for the pup. For the first two to three months of a pup’s life, it “shadows” an unrelated adult from its social group. The adult, called an “escort,” carries and feeds the pup until the pup can find its own food. Researchers at Exeter University recently found that not only do the mentors teach the pups to forage, but the specific behaviors last a lifetime. Even at middle age, a mongoose still copies the foraging style and food preferences learned from its pup-hood escort. The study highlights the importance of culturally learned behaviors in shaping diversity in animal populations. Read more in "Why Mongooses All Give Birth on the Same Day" news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/animals-mongooses-culture-learning/ Mongoose Mentors Are Teaching Pups Survival Skills | Nat Geo Wild youtu.be/c0VO7lBlChA Nat Geo Wild www.youtube.com/user/NatGeoWild

Be the first to comment