Monday, August 10, 2009

But then crows can think also

From Times Online
Crows are capable of using multiple tools in complex sequences, the first time such behaviour has been observed in non-humans, scientists have found. …

Seven New Caledonian crows were given the task of using three different lengths of stick to retrieve a reward — a small piece of pig’s heart. This was placed out of reach at the end of a transparent tube such that it could only be reeled in with a long stick.

Starting with a short stick, the crows had to first pull a medium stick towards them, and then in turn use that one to obtain the longest stick.
[Emphasis added]

Five of the crows completed the task successfully and four of them did this on their first attempt.
The full original report is available here.

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