DBDude t1_iy56zb2 wrote on November 28, 2022 at 8:56 PM

Reply to comment by Phage0070 in ELI5: Why are things like nest building or beaver dams not considered “tool use” when looking at animal intelligence? by [deleted]

Would we consider crows dropping nuts on roads so cars can run over them to be tool use? They're not wielding the tools themselves, but they understand the process of drop the nut, wait for cars, nut is cracked for them, eat the yummy insides.

Phage0070 t1_iy586np wrote on November 28, 2022 at 9:04 PM

I think that is an anecdote with questionable validity. Crows have instincts to crack nuts on hard surfaces in general, not just roadways. If crows have been dropping nuts onto rocks for thousands of years then dropping them onto roads may not be considered tool use since there is no way to establish that they understand the role of the cars in cracking the nuts.