And Slaters Go Plop

I’ve just become aware of some research being done at Auckland University in the area of tool use in New Caledonian crows. I know next to nothing about animal cognition but the fact that there is a non-primate species that makes use of tools raises a lot of interesting questions. A while ago the ability to make use of tools was touted as one of the defining characteristics of humans but it wasn’t long before other primates were found to be able to use tools. What makes these particular crows interesting is 1. the fact that they are so far removed from primates, 2. they don’t have the “kind of brain” you’d expect for tool use (which means our expectations are wrong), and 3. they are (as far as anyone knows) alone among not only crows but all other birds in their ability to use tools in this way.

Russell Gray on the New Caledonian crows:

Russell Gray on metatool use:

Alex Taylor on the trap-tube experiment: