Do any non-human animals have role models?

AMany animals learn behaviour, be it songs, foraging techniques or mate preferences, by copying the ways of their elders. Such essential life skills are usually learned from parents, but not always. Young banded mongooses, for example, are routinely looked after by adults other than their mothers and fathers, and are more likely to inherit their dietary preferences from these unrelated individuals. Humans might, however, be unique in choosing our role models on the basis of their success in society. The difficulty is deciding what exactly to copy. Adopting the ploughing techniques of a successful farmer is likely to be more useful than mimicking, say, their taste in hats.

Young banded mongooses are often cared for by escorts – adults that are not their parents.