An untapped resource: social media accounts show problem solving in numerous new animal species

Abstract

Abstract Problem solving in animals is often studied by measuring an animal’s ability to solve man-made puzzles, such as puzzle feeders. Outside of scientific studies, puzzle feeders are also presented to captive animals housed in zoos, aquaria, and sanctuaries as a form of enrichment. Footage of these interactions is commonly posted on social media accounts to increase public engagement with the institution. However, because these puzzle feeders are not presented to animals for research purposes, the problem-solving abilities of numerous species may not be recorded in the scientific literature. Therefore, we searched through three social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and X) for footage of captive animals solving problems to determine if social media could be a useful tool for behavioural scientists. For each video, we recorded what species was featured, what the puzzle was, how it was solved, and whether this was the first documentation of problem solving for the species (to the best of our knowledge). We found 111 records of successful problem solving across 74 species, including mammals (), birds (), and reptiles (). Overall, this was the first record of problem solving in 29 of these species. We suggest that social media could be a useful tool for researchers studying problem solving, particularly of mammalian and avian species.