A new way to study teaching in animals: despite demonstrable benefits, rat dams do not teach their young what to eat

Teaching is an altruistic act. Therefore, it is most likely to occur when pupil and teacher are closely related, costs to teachers of teaching are small, and benefits to pupils of being taught are large. Here, we determined, first, whether Rattus novegicus dams would modify their food choices to teach their young which of two foods was safe to eat, and second, whether such teaching by mothers would be effective, if it occurred. We examined food …