Clever Creatures: Exploring Key Traits and Problem-Solving in the Common Brushtail Possum

Abstract

The ability to solve problems is useful for animal survival, particularly when foraging. In urban environments, animals must adapt to novel challenges, including accessing new food sources. Studying problem-solving in urban species helps us understand how they approach real-world problems. This study examined the drivers of problem-solving performance in a free-ranging urban marsupial, the Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). I investigated how intrinsic traits—sex, body weight, body condition, personality, and parasite carriage—influence problemsolving. Prior to testing their effects, I assessed associations among these traits in the study population. Males were slightly heavier than females, and all individuals were healthy but varied in personality. While few carried the pathogen, Cryptosporidium parvum, more exploratory individuals were more likely to be carriers. Problem-solving performance was measured by the likelihood of solving a puzzle and the time taken to do so. Boldness indirectly influenced the likelihood of solving, while vigilance and body condition affected the time taken, both directly and indirectly. Selectivity had a direct effect on both likelihood and time to solve. Possums showed evidence of short-term learning by improving performance over repeated trials, and long-term memory by recalling the solution over a year later. Overall, individuals differed in their problem-solving approach and ability. These findings show that possums can solve, learn, and remember novel problems, offering insight into the cognitive abilities of this marsupial. The variation in problem-solving linked to personality highlights its ecological relevance in accessing novel resources. Whether such traits influence fitness, or reflect different strategies for exploiting urban environments, remains an open question.