Submission + - Hyenas cooperate, problem-solve better than primat (eurekalert.org)
Dan Aktivix writes: "Spotted hyenas may not be smarter than chimpanzees, but a new study shows that they outperform the primates on cooperative problem-solving tests. Captive pairs of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) that needed to tug two ropes in unison to earn a food reward cooperated successfully and learned the maneuvers quickly with no training. Experienced hyenas even helped inexperienced partners do the trick. When confronted with a similar task, chimpanzees and other primates often require extensive training and cooperation between individuals may not be easy.
The research was done by Christine Drea, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University; she points out no-one's been much interested in non-primate social cognition up to now."
