are we smart enough to know how smart animals are by frans de waal

'Alalā and New Caledonian crows evolved in similar environments on remote tropical islands, yet are only distantly related, suggesting that their technical abilities arose convergently. Although the 'Alalā became extinct in the wild in the early 2000s, and currently survives only in captivity, at least two lines of evidence suggest that tool use is part of the species' natural behavioural repertoire: juveniles develop functional tool use without training, or social input from adults and proficient tool use is a species-wide capacity. hawaiiensis Hawaiian crow), is a highly dexterous tool user. Here we show that another tropical corvid, the 'Alalā (C.

Despite considerable speculation, the evolutionary origins of this species' remarkable tool behaviour remain largely unknown, not least because no naturally tool-using congeners have yet been identified that would enable informative comparisons. Amongst them, the New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides) stands out with its sophisticated tool-making skills. Only a handful of bird species are known to use foraging tools in the wild. Given that these chimpanzees manufacture sophisticated, brush-tipped fishing probes from specific raw materials, teaching in this population may relate to the complexity of these termite-gathering tasks. Teaching is predicted when less costly learning mechanisms are insufficient. Donors also showed sophisticated cognitive strategies that effectively buffered them against potential costs. These transfers meet functional criteria for teaching: they occur in a learner’s presence, are costly to the teacher, and improve the learner’s performance. Tool donors experienced significant reductions in tool use and feeding, while tool recipients significantly increased their tool use and feeding after tool transfers. In this study, we show that wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in the Goualougo Triangle teach tool skills by providing learners with termite fishing probes.

Although recently documented in several nonhuman animals, teaching is rare among primates. Teaching is a form of high-fidelity social learning that promotes human cumulative culture.

Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are by frans de waal