Hoarding (animal behavior)

[2] The term hoarding is most typically used for rodents, whereas caching is more commonly used in reference to birds, but the behaviors in both animal groups are quite similar.

Some common animals that cache their food are rodents such as hamsters and squirrels, and many different bird species, such as rooks and woodpeckers.

For instance, tayras (a Central American weasel) have been observed to harvest whole green plantains, hide them, and then come back to eat them after they have ripened.

[2] Leafcutter ants harvest pieces of inedible leaves and then cache them in underground chambers to ripen with a fungus which is the main food for the colony.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no scientific evidence that crocodilians such as the American Alligator cache large prey underwater to consume later.

The reason for this is that scatter hoarders must remain active during the caching period in order to hide the most food in the most places possible.

Additionally, studies have shown that hippocampal volume in scatter-hoarders varies seasonally[12] and based on the harshness of the climate that the animal lives in.

For example, a number of jays live in large family groups, but they don't demonstrate sharing of cached food.

[18] There are only two species in which kin selection has resulted in a shared food store, i.e. beavers (Castor canadensis) and acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorous); the former live in family groups and construct winter larders of submerged branches, while the latter are unusual in that they construct a conspicuous communal larder.

Group-foraging common ravens, (Corvus corax), scatter hoard their food and also raid the caches made by others.

Cachers withdraw from conspecifics when hiding their food and most often place their caches behind structures, obstructing the view of potential observers.