It wasn't very long ago that it was believed that use of tools was a defining and exclusive characteristic of Homo sapiens. There have been lots of observations to the contrary, however, especially in the case of primates, which have been observed using crude tools in foraging, and chimpanzees have even been observed sharpening sticks to use as weapons in hunting.

This morning I read about experiments involving birds (http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/08/confirming_aesop_-_rooks_use_stones_to_raise_the_level_of_wa.php?utm_source=readerspicks&utm_medium=link) in using tools, specifically rooks (a relative of crows and ravens) using stones to displace water in a cylinder in order to reach food floating on the surface. Here's some video of it:

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It's fascinating to watch the rook carefully examine the cylinder and then start dropping in the rocks until the worm can be reached. As if this weren't surprising enough, the researchers say that the rooks quickly learned that using larger stones hastened the process. If you click on the YouTube logo you'll be taken to YouTube where there's more.

I wish that some of the people I've worked with were this smart. :tg:

It's fascinating to watch the rook carefully examine the cylinder and then start dropping in the rocks until the worm can be reached. As if this weren't surprising enough, the researchers say that the rooks quickly learned that using larger stones hastened the process.

I wish that some of the people I've worked with were this smart. :tg:

I saw this yesterday, interesting stuff. I don't really understand why people think they are the only ones who use tools, tho. Not only primates, but what about sea otters and the stones they use to open shells?

I had a horse that would open gates and prop a feed bucket into the opening to keep the gate from closing completely and locking him out. (the latch mechanism was on the far side of the gate, and evidently the angle wasn't good to open it from both sides.) Or sometimes, he would open the gate, let the other horses into the coral, then shut them in so he had the pasture all to himself.

I agree that 1) animals are more clever than we give them credit for, and 2) I also wish that some of the people I've worked with were this smart.

Friends,

Apparently, animal brains have not been filled/infested with junk science.
Somehow, they learned to apply, not pass damn tests.
Conclusion: They are competent, and have no records to show for..only observable evidence.:D

Sorry, I had to get this off my chest. :yes:

Stijloor.