DO ANY ANIMALS HOARD TREASURE?

Hoarding is a common animal behaviour. Lots of creatures cache food for times of scarcity. You probably know that squirrels hide nuts and wood mice store seeds, but did you know that fire ants stockpile excess food in the warmest part of their nest to create 'insect jerky'? You do now.

- JACKIE BRYCE, CHICHESTER

Other animals hoard items for their homes. Decorator crabs collect seaweed, anemones and sponges to camouflage their shells, while bone-house wasps collect ant corpses, which they use to seal the entrance to their nest. But all these trinkets pale into insignificance when compared with the hoarding of the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus).

With wingspans of up to 3m (almost 10ft), they are some of Europe's largest birds of prey, or raptors. They typically pair for life and return to the same cliff-side nest sites every year. Each breeding season, they add new material to their nests, which builds up into layers. In addition, the same sites are often reused across generations, turning some of these nests into time capsules.