Spatial orientation on a vertical maze in free-ranging fox squirrels (Sciurus niger)

To determine how squirrels return to remembered locations in an arboreal en vironment, wild fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) were trained on an outdoor ve rtical maze. Squirrels were trained on 1 route and tested with all routes a ccessible. Possible mechanisms of spatial orientation were distinguished wi th manipulations such as rotations, shifts, and blocked routes. Squirrels c onsistently used an extra-maze, allothetic frame of reference to orient and appeared to organize their memory of the route hierarchically. This study demonstrates that a laboratory technique, the maze, can be successfully bro ught into the field to measure mechanisms of spatial orientation under natu ral conditions in free-ranging wild rodents. Such studies will allow resear chers to determine what bind of spatial information is acquired by wild ani mals under natural conditions and how this information is used.