SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the building-rockets-by-next-week dept.
Scientists have discovered evidence of tool use in a species of crow that is extinct in the wild:
A bird so rare that it is now extinct in the wild has joined a clever animal elite - the Hawaiian crow naturally uses tools to reach food. The bird now joins just one other corvid - the New Caledonian crow - in this exclusive evolutionary niche. Dr Christian Rutz from St Andrews University described his realisation that the bird might be an undiscovered tool user as a "eureka moment". He and his team published their findings in the journal Nature [DOI: 10.1038/nature19103] [DX].
[...] According to zoo president Douglas Myers, this study marks an important milestone for the recovery programme. "The discovery that 'alalā naturally use tools is of great significance," he said, "especially at this critical stage of our recovery efforts, as it provides completely unexpected insights into the species' ecological needs." That task consisted of logs with holes and crevices that were baited with food that was just out of a bill's reach. "They were able to pick up sticks from the aviary," said Dr Rutz, "and of all the birds we tested, 93% used [the sticks as] tools. This suggests this is a species-wide skill. "They were incredibly dextrous in the way that they handled the sticks, shortened them when they were too long, and discarded them if they were not happy with them."
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 15 2016, @06:19PM
I bet they taste nice all cooked up and their brains dipped in honey.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday September 15 2016, @06:35PM
Most humans suck. Not all, but as a species, we suck big time.
No fuc|<s given.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday September 15 2016, @06:40PM
Scientists keep threatening our core belief that we're the only intelligent species.
Eradication is he fastest way to solve the problem, because defunding education takes a while...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 15 2016, @08:29PM
Actually it's the crows that suck big time. Using a tool still didn't give them a teleological advantage. Maybe if the crow had concentrated on sitting on more eggs at a time it would have been better.
(Score: 2) by t-3 on Friday September 16 2016, @01:20AM
According to wikipedia, the largest cause of demise in these crows is disease, specifically toxoplasmosis gondii (from introduced cats), and avian malaria. Farmers killing them has made an impact, but not as significant.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 15 2016, @08:00PM
A "tool" should really be defined as an object that is modified to suit a particular purpose. There are a lot of species that pick up natural objects and use them in some way. None of them have so far managed to make a spear, though...
(Score: 3, Touché) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Thursday September 15 2016, @08:03PM
Most birds do nest though.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 16 2016, @12:38AM
And humans build bird houses to show them our superiority.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday September 15 2016, @08:14PM
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Funny) by Megahard on Friday September 16 2016, @12:16AM
Q: What do you call a stick modified by a crow to pry food out of a log?
A: A crowbar
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tibman on Thursday September 15 2016, @08:19PM
That rules out most humans as tool using then. Because the thing i see humans do is pickup existing "objects" and use them. Little if any modification. I also doubt there is even 1% of the human population that could make a spear.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 16 2016, @11:04AM
Woohoo!! I'm part of the one per cent!!
(Score: 3, Funny) by Absolutely.Geek on Thursday September 15 2016, @09:46PM
If anyone "modified" my 10mm ring spanner I would be very annoyed. Although I constantly see people "modifying" screwdrivers into all kinds of things; chisels; gouge; scribes etc.....those fuckers can keep away from my screwdrivers also.
Don't trust the police or the government - Shihad: My mind's sedate.
(Score: 3, Funny) by RamiK on Thursday September 15 2016, @11:56PM
In out defense, we also use chisels to drive screws so it averages out.
compiling...
(Score: 3, Funny) by deimtee on Friday September 16 2016, @11:07AM
If you knock the handle off, you can get the tang into the chuck of a drill and have a powered screwdriver.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by nishi.b on Friday September 16 2016, @08:05AM
But toolmaking also exists in crows : some can create hooks from a bit of wire [youtube.com].