It was once thought that the ability to make and use tools was a trait that elevated humans above the rest of the animal kingdom, but as our knowledge of the animal kingdom grew, so did our understanding of nature’s ingenuity. Whether it’s intelligence or genetics, many animals use the world around them to live and hopefully thrive in their environment. Some animals turn objects into tools, while others simply find creative uses for the typical objects found in their environment. And in some cases, animals show amazing ingenuity in the use of their tools. Here are 9 of the most lovable animals using tools.
9. Bottlenose dolphin: inventor of the underwater kingdom.
Dolphins are notorious for playing with objects floating in the water, but playing is essentially just a way to learn how to hunt, gather food, and survive in the wild more effectively. In the wild, dolphins are known to use shells to pick up prey and feed it directly into their mouths, but a small community of bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia have been spotted using a tool that researchers have not noted elsewhere. They attach a sponge to their nose to feed on the seabed without scratching or cutting into flesh. Interestingly, this habit seems to be passed down from generation to generation, although this behavior is mainly displayed by women. The use of improvisational instruments is widespread in the dolphin community. In captivity, dolphins have been seen throwing objects to lure people or prey, and have even used tiles to scrape off edible algae from surfaces.
You can read more about the many ways bottlenose dolphins train their big brains here.
8. Degu: Proof That An Old Rodent Can Learn New Tricks
Degu is generally the average rodent who has not demonstrated great ability to use tools in the wild, but he can demonstrate that the ability of animals to use tools has more to do with proper training than an innate instinct to use tools. A study by the Japan Institute of Physical and Chemical Research found that degus had enough food promise to connect the dots. Each animal was placed on one side of a fence with sunflower seeds on the other side, and the only way to get to the seeds was to use a rake. It took all six subjects only 60 days of practice to learn how to use the rake.
7. Long-tailed macaques: understanding the importance of good dental hygiene
The primates, called long-tailed macaques, can be found throughout Thailand and Myanmar, and although they are all capable of using stone tools, the extent of their use can vary considerably. These sociable creatures are divided into smaller communities, and separate isolated groups show different levels of difficulty in using the tools. Some reuse tools until they show significant degradation, while others use tools sparingly and only once.
Whether it’s genetic or learned behavior, it can help us better understand the evolution of human tool use. But the macaques showing the most innovative use of the instrument are those from the Prang Sam Yot Temple. They are known to pluck the human hair from guests or visitors to use as dental floss.
The long-tailed macaque is one of the most prominent primate species in the world, and you can learn more about it here.
6. The Asian Elephant: Analytical Problem Solving
Elephants have large brains to match their large bodies, and it turns out that they use them extensively, inventing new types of tools. The elephant’s trunk gives them dexterous means of manipulation, making them especially well-armed with tools. Branches and tree trunks are commonly used for clearing bushes, weighing down fences, and as weapons for swinging or throwing. But they are also known for using smaller twigs as a fly swatter or as a way to scratch the itch. They are also a rare animal that actually creates tools rather than just using objects around them.
Asian elephants strip and shorten tree branches to better ward off flies. Even more surprising, captive elephants are capable of solving puzzles involving stacking objects to reach targets above them and draining water into a pool so that the treat rises within reach of their trunks.
If you don’t remember the elephant, you can brush up on the facts about the species here.
Ravens are some of the smartest birds in the world, and their degree of tool use is a prime example. New Caledonian crows are known to make tools out of paper and wood, and they are even capable of using “meta-tools”: tools designed to manipulate other tools. They might, for example, invent a smaller tool in order to get the larger tool they need to get the food they want. But crows are also one of the few creatures in the animal kingdom that use sophisticated tools.
A group of captive New Caledonian crows underwent a series of tests in which they demonstrated that they can solve puzzles that require them to combine simple objects to receive a reward. This behavior has not yet been seen in the wild, but it raises exciting questions about the predictive power of the crow.
For decades, it was believed that humans were the only creature that could use tools, but it turns out that sea otters have been using them for millions of years. Oysters are common prey for otters, but these marine mammals naturally do not have the means to open their shells. Instead, they usually get to the meat inside by placing a shell on their belly and smashing it with a stone, or smashing the shell against a standing stone. They even tend to choose sharper and sharper stones for processing.
New genetic studies show that this has been the case for millions of years, and close examination of wild and captive otters shows that tool use is genetically encoded, not studied. In fact, the indentation that some otters have on their chest could be a physiological reflection of this long-standing ability.
Sea otters are still recovering from the brink of extinction, and you can learn more about their survival here.
3. Veined Octopus: Making Better Armor
Hermit crabs are known for taking over seashells left by others, but they are not tool-making animals like the unique veined octopuses. The difference is that these cephalopods are harvested and then carry the coconut halves with the intention of using them later. In fact, the process of carrying coconuts is cumbersome. They grab the halves of a coconut with each tentacle and carry it uncomfortably, as if walking on stilts.
The process of wearing coconuts is a burden, but it pays off with the protection it has to offer. This moment of vulnerability is worth the long-term advantage of having an impromptu armor to hide inside. Other octopus species exhibited similar but less sophisticated behaviors, such as picking stones up against the wall in their underwater dens.
The veined octopus is just one of approximately 400 species that you can learn more about here.
It makes sense that the large brains of dolphins, elephants, and ravens could find tools, but the relatively tiny and alien mind of the ant is surprisingly adept at working with them. Funnel ants often carry tools for absorbing and transporting fluids and substances like honey, and research shows that they deliberately choose items like sponges that are best suited for the task. But using more sophisticated tools, the black fire ants used the sand to dilute the deadly sugar water so they could safely extract the sugar and transport it safely. Some species are known to even grow fungus. Unlike many of the creatures on this list, it is believed that it is almost exclusively the result of genetic mutation, rather than higher cognition on the part of the ant.
Learn more about the thousands of ant species and their unique behavior here.
1. Gorilla: different uses of one stick
Many primates use rocks to break nuts and sticks to catch beetles, but most of them fail to achieve the level of difficulty found in wild gorillas. Observations of gorillas in the plains in the Republic of the Congo have shown that gorillas use sticks to measure the depth of water and even to create temporary bridges over treacherous streams or swamps. Another breed, the mountain gorilla, is known to actually make gloves out of thistle so as not to injure hands while searching for food in dense thickets. This more complex behavior suggests that gorillas are capable of higher levels of cognition than other primates.
Regardless of which of the four gorilla subspecies interests you the most, you can read about it here.
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