<
https://singularityhub.com/2023/02/12/goffins-cockatoos-join-humans-and-chimps-as-third-species-shown-to-carry-toolsets-for-future-tasks/>
"From pocket knives to smartphones, humans keep inventing
ever-more-sophisticated tools. However, the notion that tool use is an
exclusively human trait was shattered in the 1960s when Jane Goodall observed
our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, retrieving termites from holes with
stripped twigs.
Tool use among non-human animals is hotly debated. It’s often thought a big
brain is needed to understand the properties of objects, how to finely
manipulate them, and how to teach this to other members of a species.
Until recently, humans and chimps stood out among tool-using species. They were
considered the only species that used “toolsets,” wherein a collection of
different tools is used to achieve a task. They were also thought to be the
only animals that carried toolsets in anticipation of needing them later.
A third species joined the exclusive club of toolset makers in 2021, when
scientists in Indonesia saw wild Goffin’s cockatoos using three distinct types
of tools to extract seeds from fruit. And in research published this week,
researchers have shown Goffin’s cockatoos can also take the next leap of logic,
by carrying a set of tools they’ll need for a future task."
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
