Are humans intelligent enough to understand animal intelligence? This is the question that primatologist Frans de Waal raised in one of his books on ethology. Far from being trivial, the question puts into perspective a revealing finding: over 50 years ago, Jane Goodall demonstrated that chimpanzees could make tools, a discovery that has since transformed the perception of animal cognition.
Dolphins, birds, and even elephants, like those who improvise showers using their ingenuity, are just a few examples of species that exhibit an ability that until recently was thought to be exclusively human.
The idea of an animal manufacturing and using tools undoubtedly captured the attention of both the scientific community and the general public. This type of behavior not only forces us to question what makes humans human, but also to reconsider the cognitive capacities of other species. This leads to the question: Do animals understand how a tool works before using it, or is their learning based on trial and error?
Some experts argue that this fascination with tool use could be anthropocentric bias, given that many species perform complex behaviors, such as building nests, without explicitly using tools.
Animals that Get Creative to Create Tools
Elephants and their Improvised “Shower”
Elephants, known for using their trunks to collect water and cool off, took this skill to the next level. Mary, an elephant at the Berlin Zoo, uses a hose as a shower. Another elephant, Anchali, developed techniques to control the water flow, even going as far as interrupting Mary’s showers. Although this could be interpreted as sabotage, scientists consider this intentionality unlikely, as experiments do not confirm it.
A recent study, published in Current Biology, reveals that these behaviors may arise from trial and error, supported by a basic understanding of their own bodies and their relationship with the environment. According to Lena Kaufmann, the lead author of the research, Mary likely observed and explored the hose before understanding its utility, perhaps aided by the similarity of this tool to her trunk.
Primates and Other Species with Tool-Making Skills
Jane Goodall was a pioneer in documenting how chimpanzees used twigs to access termite mounds. Since then, more examples have been recorded: capuchin monkeys use stones to crack nuts, and gorillas use sticks to measure water depth.
Crows, in particular, have shown impressive abilities. New Caledonian crows modify leaves to create hooks with which they extract tree larvae. Additionally, they demonstrated a remarkable understanding of Archimedes’ principle by dropping stones into water containers to raise the water level and reach food.
These discoveries emphasize that tool-making is not exclusive to species with large brains. Rather, it reflects adaptation to the environment and creativity, traits that we share with our animal kingdom companions. Each new finding brings researchers closer to understanding what makes humans unique and, at the same time, what connects them with the rest of the species that inhabit this planet.
Other Animal Curiosities
Animals have particular characteristics that differentiate them from each other. Some of these characteristics are:
- Speed: The cheetah is the fastest animal on land, while peregrine falcons are the fastest birds in a dive.
- Size: The bumblebee bat is the smallest mammal in the world, while blue whales are gigantic.
- Adaptation Capacity: Sharks alternate periods of inactivity, during which only one part of their brain sleeps.
- Defense Capacity: The sea cucumber Parastichopus tremulus can eject part of its intestines through its anus to defend itself.
- Hunting Capacity: The huntsman spider has a white mustache that glows in the dark to attract prey.
- Feeding Capacity: The frogfish has no teeth and must swallow prey whole.
- Respiration Capacity: Sharks lack a swim bladder, so they must open their mouths to absorb oxygen through their gills.
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