Tool use by non-human animals

Tool use by non-human animals includes the use of objects to obtain food or water, groom, communicate, defend themselves, build, or undertake other goals. It occurs among mammals, birds, fish, cephalopods and insects. Using found objects is more common than making tools, while tool manufacture is attested only in mammals and birds. Definitions of tools and tool use remain debated, and some forms may involve sophisticated cognition.

Animal groups: Mammals, birds, fish, cephalopods and insects
Tool manufacture: Attested only in mammals and birds
Definitions: What counts as a tool is debated

Sources and credits

Article: Tool use by non-human animals (English Wikipedia)
Wikidata: Q1109139
Text: Card text is adapted from the English Wikipedia article by an automated summary. Wikipedia content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for its contributors. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Article history and contributors
Illustration: By Haslam M, Gumert MD, Biro D, Carvalho S, Malaivijitnond S (2013). CC BY 2.5 · File page on Wikimedia Commons
Haslam M, Gumert MD, Biro D, Carvalho S, Malaivijitnond S (2013), Haslam M, Gumert MD, Biro D, Carvalho S, Malaivijitnond S (2013) Use-Wear Patterns on Wild Macaque Stone Tools Reveal Their Behavioural History. PLoS ONE 8(8): e72872. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072872
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