A craftsman is only as good as his tools

Clip from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tv series.

Words of wisdom from the late, great Douglas Adams. One of the identifiers, and markers of intelligence in a species is the use of tools. For a long time humanity assumed that it was the sole species to possess this trait. However, the creation and use of tools is a trait that has been documented in numerous species throughout the years. Here we shall discuss as many of them as I feel like typing about.

1. Primates

Ok this one is a bit of a cheat because so many of our closest genetic relatives have displayed a talent for tool creation and usage. So I'm going to briefly touch on several species of primates in no particular order.

First off is the most obvious, Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Chimps are one of our closest genetic relatives, along with Bonobos (Pan paniscus), sharing approximately 98.7% of our genetic code.

From Left: Chimpanzees, Human, Bonobos. Johnny Depp is 98.7% genetically identical to the animals on either side of him.

Chimps and bonobos have been documented crafting and using tools in the wild, but both species have a much higher tool usage rate when held in captivity. Tool usage in these species is widely varied with tools being developed to hunt, scavenge, collect honey and water, crush and chop fruits, nuts and vegetables, and for personal grooming.

Chimps using tools to fish out insects.

Another great ape species which utilizes branches and leaves as a remarkable variety of tools for a multitude of jobs is the Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii). Orangutans have been observed to use tools for many functions similar to chimps and bonobos. They craft hunting and gathering tools, use leaves as gloves to grab thorny branches, and use leaves as napkins. They have even been shown to utilize leaves as megaphones, possibly to make themselves seem larger and more threatening to predators. However, they have also shown a trait that you might think is a uniquely human idea. They have been observed using tools to masturbate. Yeah you read that right. Orangutans fashion tools to help them "get off", and it's been seen in both male and female orangs. While this is certainly the most eye grabbing trait, orangs have also shown a remarkable ability to "ape" (hehehe) human tool use. In the wild orangutans have been observed copying humans spear fishing, and in captivity they have been taught to craft stone hand axes.

Orangutan attempting to spear fish.

Finally among the non-ape primate species the most notable are the capuchin monkeys. Capuchins are part of the new-world monkey subfamily Cebinae, and are split into two genuses, Cebus and Sapajus. Capuchins of both genus have shown a remarkable propensity towards stone tool use. They have been documented using a stone "hammer and anvil" to crush and crack open nuts, fruits and even oysters. However, this is not some innate ability of these monkeys. It can take up to 8 years for Capuchins to master the skills required to use these tools.

Clip from BBC Earth documentary showing Capuchin monkeys cracking

nuts. Narrated by the brilliant Sir David Attenborough.

Capuchins have also shown ingenuity by using stone tools to dig up roots and tubers, and "milking" the secretions of certain arthropods to use as insecticides.

2. Elephants

There are three extant species of elephant, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), and African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis). While these species are famed for their "infallible" memories and are considered among the most intelligent species on the planet, they are not often thought of as tool users. They make up for their lack of opposable digits through the use of their incredibly dexterous trunks. Elephants have been seen choosing, stripping and shaping sticks and branches for a variety of purposes. They create fly swatters, back scratchers, and toe cleaners. They have also shown foresight in their tool creation. Elephants have been observed digging holes which fill with water, then filling the hole with a wad of chewed bark to absorb the water, and covering the hole over with sand to prevent evaporation. This creates a cache of water for the elephant should it return later and need a drink. Elephants have also shown the ingenuity to use large rocks to crush electric fences, either shorting them out or breaking a hole for the elephant to walk through. In captivity Asian elephants will also use boxes in their enclosure as stepping stones to reach food placed purposefully out of reach.

Elephant chews stick to create tool for scratching.

3. Sea Otters!

I had to include this one. As you may have noticed from the background and the title of my blog I have a weak spot for otters. Now tool use is fairly uncommon in the animal kingdom, while it may not appear so from this blog so far, but it is even more unusual in the marine environment. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) however, are one of the few species with documented tool use capabilities.

Sea Otter using rock on its belly to smash its prey.

I'm sure we're all familiar with the images and videos of sea otters holding the clam, or urchin on their belly and smashing it with a rock to open it. It turns out that sea otters also use rocks to remove their food from the sea bed and rocks it clings to. Otters hunting abalone (a type of marine snail) will often use rocks to bash the snail in an attempt to prize it from the rocks it is attached too. This is much harder than it sounds as the snails can grip the rock with a force equal to 4,000x its own body weight!

Once the otter has prized the snail from the rock (usually requiring several dives to achieve this) it must then break through the snail's hard shell. Recently a researcher from Monterey Bay Aquarium, Jessica Fujii, reported that her team had found that the rate of tool use in otters varies by location. Sea otters down south, off the California coast showed a much higher rate of tool use than those observed in Alaskan waters. Fujii said that this is due to the dominant prey species for these different populations of otters. While urchins are spiny and tough looking, they are actually much easier to break open than the abalone that otters hunt further south. This explains why Alaskan otters showed tool use while eating ~1% of the time compared with the ~16% usage rate by southern otters.

Sea otter using rock to smash open clams.

4. Dolphins

Finally we have come full circle. Here we find the species many consider to be the second most intelligent on the planet, the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Dolphins are similar to elephants in that while the intelligence is much lauded, they are not considered prime examples of tool using species. However, dolphins have been observed using sponges to protect their rostrum as they hunt for fish along the sea floor. Genetic studies performed on dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia (where this behaviour has been documented) show that it stems from a single matriline (female lineage) with mother's apparently teaching the skill to their daughters. There are also reports of dolphins in this area using conch shells to scoop prey off the bottom making them easier for the dolphins to eat. Dolphins have, like Orangutans, also been documented masturbating in the wild. While perhaps not technically "tool use" a video does exist showing a river dolphin "using" a headless fish.

Bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay using sponges to protect them while hunting.

Well that's all I have for this blog, thanks for checking it out. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and videos. Come back again soon, and check me out on The Imposter Podcast, run by a good friend of mine, Amir Fogel. Anyway thanks for stopping by!

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