Post by StuartG on Jun 9, 2011 10:25:17 GMT 1
Us or them?
"Spitting and urinating chimps 'replay Aesop's fable' "
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13560247
once the first video is watched then the other appears to allow selection.
"Rooks reveal remarkable tool-use"
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8059688.stm
"The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, came as a surprise as rooks do not use tools in the wild."
They do, some ten years ago whilst walking along a lane out of the village, there is a large open ploughed field, the furrows were hardened and the soil is 'clayey'. I heard a call from a rook, who was holding a twig in it's beak and prodding it into the ground, the rook then dropped the twig and called out in my direction. It was obviously directed at me as there was no-one or thing else about. I called out "Hello mate" [as you do] and He called back. Well, I was out for a walk and detoured up the bank by the lane and across the short distance over the furrows to were the crow was looking into a small depression in the soil. As I neared He hopped [clumsily, like they do] back three or four hops. I couldn't see anything for Him to want, but picked up the twig which after a couple of digs, broke in the hard, stoney soil. Beginning to think He was having me on, and about to leave, when I decided to use my bare hands to at least break some of the soil up to keep Rookie happy, then walked away. As I did so He returned and continued to poke about with beak, on leaving the field, looked over my shoulder to see Him pulling a reluctant, large and long 'worm' from the soil. I shouted out "You got him, good old boy!" a returned squawk. I continued my walk for a couple of hundred yards when He flew past me some twenty feet up wheeled in front and returned the way He came, with a few more calls as He went. So they will use tools in the wild, but isn't it easier to get someone else to do the hard work, who's the brightest?
StuartG
"Spitting and urinating chimps 'replay Aesop's fable' "
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13560247
once the first video is watched then the other appears to allow selection.
"Rooks reveal remarkable tool-use"
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8059688.stm
"The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, came as a surprise as rooks do not use tools in the wild."
They do, some ten years ago whilst walking along a lane out of the village, there is a large open ploughed field, the furrows were hardened and the soil is 'clayey'. I heard a call from a rook, who was holding a twig in it's beak and prodding it into the ground, the rook then dropped the twig and called out in my direction. It was obviously directed at me as there was no-one or thing else about. I called out "Hello mate" [as you do] and He called back. Well, I was out for a walk and detoured up the bank by the lane and across the short distance over the furrows to were the crow was looking into a small depression in the soil. As I neared He hopped [clumsily, like they do] back three or four hops. I couldn't see anything for Him to want, but picked up the twig which after a couple of digs, broke in the hard, stoney soil. Beginning to think He was having me on, and about to leave, when I decided to use my bare hands to at least break some of the soil up to keep Rookie happy, then walked away. As I did so He returned and continued to poke about with beak, on leaving the field, looked over my shoulder to see Him pulling a reluctant, large and long 'worm' from the soil. I shouted out "You got him, good old boy!" a returned squawk. I continued my walk for a couple of hundred yards when He flew past me some twenty feet up wheeled in front and returned the way He came, with a few more calls as He went. So they will use tools in the wild, but isn't it easier to get someone else to do the hard work, who's the brightest?
StuartG
