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A novel tool-use mode in animals : New Caledonian crows insert tools to transport objects

Jacobs, Ivo F. LU orcid ; von Bayern, Auguste and Osvath, Mathias LU (2016) In Animal Cognition 19(6). p.1249-1252
Abstract

New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) rely heavily on a range of tools to extract prey. They manufacture novel tools, save tools for later use, and have morphological features that facilitate tool use. We report six observations, in two individuals, of a novel tool-use mode not previously reported in non-human animals. Insert-and-transport tool use involves inserting a stick into an object and then moving away, thereby transporting both object and tool. All transported objects were non-food objects. One subject used a stick to transport an object that was too large to be handled by beak, which suggests the tool facilitated object control. The function in the other cases is unclear but seems to be an expression of play or... (More)

New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) rely heavily on a range of tools to extract prey. They manufacture novel tools, save tools for later use, and have morphological features that facilitate tool use. We report six observations, in two individuals, of a novel tool-use mode not previously reported in non-human animals. Insert-and-transport tool use involves inserting a stick into an object and then moving away, thereby transporting both object and tool. All transported objects were non-food objects. One subject used a stick to transport an object that was too large to be handled by beak, which suggests the tool facilitated object control. The function in the other cases is unclear but seems to be an expression of play or exploration. Further studies should investigate whether it is adaptive in the wild and to what extent crows can flexibly apply the behaviour in experimental settings when purposive transportation of objects is advantageous.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
New Caledonian crow, Object exploration, Play, Tool transport, Tool use
in
Animal Cognition
volume
19
issue
6
pages
4 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:27437926
  • wos:000385153000020
  • scopus:84979245208
ISSN
1435-9448
DOI
10.1007/s10071-016-1016-z
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a3feded8-ca1c-460f-9105-a391acb5a8e6
date added to LUP
2016-10-20 12:12:43
date last changed
2025-01-12 13:34:24
@article{a3feded8-ca1c-460f-9105-a391acb5a8e6,
  abstract     = {{<p>New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) rely heavily on a range of tools to extract prey. They manufacture novel tools, save tools for later use, and have morphological features that facilitate tool use. We report six observations, in two individuals, of a novel tool-use mode not previously reported in non-human animals. Insert-and-transport tool use involves inserting a stick into an object and then moving away, thereby transporting both object and tool. All transported objects were non-food objects. One subject used a stick to transport an object that was too large to be handled by beak, which suggests the tool facilitated object control. The function in the other cases is unclear but seems to be an expression of play or exploration. Further studies should investigate whether it is adaptive in the wild and to what extent crows can flexibly apply the behaviour in experimental settings when purposive transportation of objects is advantageous.</p>}},
  author       = {{Jacobs, Ivo F. and von Bayern, Auguste and Osvath, Mathias}},
  issn         = {{1435-9448}},
  keywords     = {{New Caledonian crow; Object exploration; Play; Tool transport; Tool use}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{1249--1252}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Animal Cognition}},
  title        = {{A novel tool-use mode in animals : New Caledonian crows insert tools to transport objects}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1016-z}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10071-016-1016-z}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}