Scatter Hoarding

Many animals live in environments where food is plentiful during certain times of the year and scarce during other times of the year. In such environments, some animals collect and prepare food when it is plentiful, then hoard it—store it—for future use. Some types of hoarders engage in scatter hoarding. Unlike other types of hoarders, scatter hoarders do not store the food all in one place; instead, they scatter it—divide it up and hide it in many places. Later, at a time when food is scarce, the hoarders return to these hiding places and recover the food.