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Subject: Animal Intelligence Posted by: Boldwin - [443322717] Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 09:59 I grew up in an era when it was stated with authority that animals did not use tools. We've come a long way in our understanding since then and doubtless still have a long way to go.  story All Ball, the story of deep gorilla emotional attachment and clear detailed communication thereof. | |||||||
| 1 | Khahan ID: 46121614 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 10:24 |
Actually, many primates use tools. There are monkeys that use sticks as 'forks' inserting them into high ant hills. The ants of course swarm up the stick and the monkey has his meal. I'm not aware of any other animals outside of primates that use tools. However seagulls use rocks to open clams and crabs. I believe otters do as well (though they tend to drop the meal on the rock as opposed to actually using the rock to bash the shell. But the principal is the same). My cat uses me for all kinds of stuff from getting fed to being scratched. But I think that qualifies me more as 'well trained' than 'the use of a tool.' | ||||||
| 2 | Boldwin ID: 443322717 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 10:59 |
Examples are prolly too numerous to catelogue. I am particularly interested in the gorilla, grey parrot and other parrot varities' ability to carry on a meaningful conversation and what we can learn about their inner life. I am also intrigued, since you brought cats up, about just how smart animals are in specialized directions. It would be wild if cats were as smart as pigs and grey parrots but just aimed the brainpower in a different direction. Cats have small brains? What if someday we find that that is as reliably diagnostic as phrenology? [A Blue whale's brain is how big?!] Don't get me wrong. Obviously at some point this interest could quickly devolve into sentimental and fatuous anthropomorphizing. But the Koko experience proves we shouldn't automatically label it such. | ||||||
| 3 | Khahan ID: 46121614 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 11:23 |
Actually, the big question for that orangutan is: Did he sharpen the end of the stick first? | ||||||
| 4 | Boldwin ID: 443322717 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 11:32 |
More on cats, yeah I'm a real cat person. I've always wondered why cats who are both very visual and very intrigued by movement seem in my experience to show no interest in TV. Maybe there are exceptions? Dogs seem to take an interest some of the time. I am guessing the cat is thinking as he watches me watch TV, "I don't care if there is stuff moving around there, I can guarantee you there is no food in that box". Also I imagine they are Einsteins of smell. More or less smelling your hand for two seconds and recreating in their mind what you did for the last twelve hours. My wife who can read some of my posts and tells me she has no earthly idea what I just said, can track my progress around the house like an urban indian tracker..."Stubbed your toe on the laundry basket, by the indentation in the carpet I see you sat down and put your shoes on there...didn't turn the faucet completely off over there, left a chocolate knuckle print on the refrigerator, anything else you want to know". She's a freak that way. | ||||||
| 5 | Boldwin ID: 443322717 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 11:34 |
Khahan Nope, the story says he can't spear a fish either unless it's already in a fishtrap...but he's learning. Fishspearing today. Tomorrow he takes over the world. | ||||||
| 6 | C1-NRB ID: 5932328 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 11:50 |
My wife who can read some of my posts and tells me she has no earthly idea what I just said, can track my progress around the house like an urban indian tracker..."Stubbed your toe on the laundry basket, by the indentation in the carpet I see you sat down and put your shoes on there...didn't turn the faucet completely off over there, left a chocolate knuckle print on the refrigerator, anything else you want to know". She's a freak that way. Those of us like that aren't freaks. It's the rest of you that stumble (no pun intended) through life without "basic" (to folks like your wife and I) observational skills and manage to survive that are freakish. The only entertaining thing about shows like "Psych" is what dolts the other characters are. | ||||||
| 7 | boikin ID: 532592112 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 13:39 | It is amazing how unobservant people are just the other day i was walking down a busy a sidewalk and just a foot of the side walk there is big snake just sunning them selves with there head a good six inches of the ground. I thought it was strange that no one was alarmed. So i walked on another 50 feet and stopped to watch the people go by, to see in anyone notices the snake. after 5 mintutes of waiting no one ever took a second look. | ||||||
| 8 | Boldwin ID: 443322717 Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 17:32 |
C1-NRB Genius and absent-minded kinda go togther. I'll let you and my wife memorize the exact crack on the wood floorboards where the laundry basket happened to get placed. | ||||||
| 9 | Boldwin ID: 58452178 Thu, May 22, 2008, 23:54 | Parrot instructs vet exactly how to return him home. Refuses to talk to the cops however. | ||||||
| 10 | Baldwin ID: 201045320 Thu, Nov 06, 2008, 07:11 | If not an animal intelligence story, more than just a cute story. Reunion | ||||||
| 11 | Boldwin ID: 49030519 Tue, Jan 17, 2012, 13:01 | Snowboarding Russian crow | ||||||
| 12 | Boldwin ID: 286432311 Wed, Jul 23, 2014, 12:49 |
I am guessing this is actually an example of animal empathy. http://sizvideos.tumblr.com/post/87050786870/how-to-catch-an-emu-video | ||||||
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