• kwomp@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    43
    ·
    9 months ago

    There is a norwegian study that found that isolated beaver babies start piling up sticks and stuff at some point but do not build dams. They concluded (the scientists) that piling up stuff is genetic and building dams is cultural (has to be learned). I have no link but the study was made in Bø

      • bmsok@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        9 months ago

        Dude… What did SpongeBob do to Sandy to get the whole rodent mafia involved like that???

      • Ech@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        9 months ago

        That’s so cute. And hilarious - nothing in that house is safe from The Pile.

      • Flumpkin@slrpnk.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        9 months ago

        Oh wow. Could we domesticate beavers and train them to clean up our houses??? 🤣 Obviously they’d need to be bred to be trained to only clean up certain items.

    • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      9 months ago

      Baby animal studies focused on play are always so cool. Like bees appearantly will play with objects that have nothing to do with their survival.

      We do the same thing I think. Kids will pile up or mess about with any stuff you give them whether they have a cultural understanding of it’s use or not.

      • Jessvj93@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        9 months ago

        My favorite is animal documentaries, monkeys especially, just kid animals legitimately playing the same as human kids.