Otter cubs can outsmart parents

Just like computer-savvy teenagers, young smooth-coated otters are quicker to master new technology than the older generation.

In a series of tests, otters were given containers of food that could only be reached by overcoming technological obstacles such as clip-on, pull-off or unscrew lids.

Dr Neeltje Boogert, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, said: “Our results suggest smooth-coated otters adopt a ‘copy when young’ strategy. The offspring learned how to solve these puzzles much quicker than their parents – more than six times faster.

“The order in which the young otters solved the puzzles followed the strength of their social ties. This indicates that the juveniles copied those siblings they spent most time with,” said Dr Boogert, whose findings appear in the Royal Society journal Open Science.