Animal Tool Use

Catalog description

Tool use and manufacture was once believed to be uniquely human and the distinctive hallmark of human cognitive advancement. The discovery that some non-human animals, including birds, are capable tool users and in some cases tool makers offers exciting opportunities to examine such behaviors in living species. It opens up important implications for understanding animal intelligence, the emergence of culture and the supposed uniqueness of our own species. This class provides an overview of animal tool use and manufacture to compare and contrast the behavior of humans and animals.