Study finds unlikely tool user: rodents
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While it might not be as advanced as a monkey wrench or circular saw, a rake is what rodents used to become the world’s newest tool users. OK, it wasn’t quite like the rake here. Still, it was an impressive feat.
The degu, a burrowing rodent from the highlands of Chile, can be taught to use a tiny rake to procure food (in a laboratory setting, of course), the New York Times recently reported.
Specifically, degus have been trained to reach through a fence, grab hold of a tiny rake and pull their favorite food, half a peeled sunflower seed, close enough to reach with their mouths. After two months of practice, researchers say, the degus can move the rake as smoothly and efficiently as croupiers in any Las Vegas casino. NYT
Many other animals may have latent tool-using abilities, the New York Times reports, provided they have good hand-eye -- or hand-paw -- coordination.
Chimps, as Jane Goodall observed, fish for termites with pieces of grass, dispelling humans’ long-held belief that they were the only creatures smart enough to use tools.
Still in disbelief? Take a look at the video for proof. The scientifically inclined can read the study the story was based on.
-- Tony Barboza