Wild Gorillas using Tools

I was esp. impressed by the "dual-use" nature of both observations: depth gauge then bridge (or walking stick? not clear from story), and safety anchor then bridge. I would love to see video: did they foresee the second use before initating the first or pause for thought and then determine the second use?I believe chimp tool use (e.g., fishing for termites with twigs) has been observed to be cultural--some troops do it, some don't. I'm not sure there are enough gorilla communities left to make that dermination in their case, sad to say. I recall that one of Koko's fellow gorillas is sophisticated enough to lie about a piece of equipment he damaged--blaming instead a human caretaker he did not like.I have a years-long fascination with corvids (crows, ravens, jays, etc.) intelligence. They practice tool shaping; in their food caching they engage in deceit sophisticated enough to suggest they are aware of the internal state of other corvids. I'd recommend the literature on these sassy birds to anyone interested in animal intelligence. The Mind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich is a great place to start.Edit: for clarityThis message has been edited by Omnivorous, 09-30-2005 03:13 PM

Nope, not me, though I, too, saw the story and found (like jar) that it confirmed personal observation. Yah, RAZD, it is rudimentary, with no real fashioning taking place...but it is the first such gorilla observation in the wild. I think the demonstrations of gorilla intelligence in captivity--tool use and otherwise--are much more striking.We have so few gorillas left that we will never know how sophisticated their tool use in the wild may have been.Jar, has it ever struck you that birds car-surf? I am convinced of it.I have seen a number of species, including crows and starlings, fly at a 90 degree angle to a car's path and suddenly dip down into the car's air wake/wave so that they are hurtled upward at high speed. It looks like great fun.I am convinced they do this deliberately, rather than accidentally, but I cannot find a reference to the behavior anywhere.If you haven't seen it before, watch for it: let me know what you think.This message has been edited by Omnivorous, 09-30-2005 09:17 PM

Thanks, jar, you've made my night.We should publish

We have been fortunate enough to observe both of these behaviors--there are nesting ravens a few miles away (in Connecticut!), and we camp often in the Adirondacks, where they are more plentiful.Unpaired corvids will also engage in display flights which are quite acrobatic and impressive. Actually, I should note two flight behaviors--the synchronized ballet of mated/courting pairs and the madcap, high-speed pursuit (with frequent reversals of roles, tag you're It) that many birds seem to enjoy, even across species.But eagles perform one of the most impressive flight behaviors we have seen (along the lower Connecticut River where the eagles congregate to fish in the hard winter months because the salt tide from Long Island Sound prevents the river from freezing).Two eagles will fly in close formation; one drifts just below the other, then abrupty barrel-rolls so that it is flying upside down. The eagles lock their talons together and spiral downward as though locked in a "death embrace"--but then safely break away, sometimes breathtakingly close to the ground: are these eagles playing chicken? This past winter we saw a practical application of that play/behavior. An eagle was being harassed by a smaller, quicker redtail hawk, who would fly above the eagle and then pounce on its back. Suddenly, the eagle barrel-rolled and seized one of the hawk's feet--the hawk managed to break free, but I suspect it was many days before the hawk again thought to annoy an eagle in that fashion.Another raven bit: several native American cultures claim that the raven has a long history of leading hunters to game, and then profit by scavenging the remains. There are similar reports of ravens leading wolves to prey. That is my intuitive impression--hell, I'd do it.At first, like jar, I put Bird Surfing in the category of flying saucers, as per singer John Prine:Now I ain't seen no saucers
'cept the ones upon the shelf,
And if I ever saw one,
I'd keep it to myself.(from "Linda Goes to Mars")In fact, when the notion first occurred to me, I laughed out loud. Then I noted that the birds were engaging in this behavior repeatedly in particular locations that shared certain characteristics--long straightaway roadsides clear of high embankments, close-crowding trees/power lines, etc.Furthermore, the birds were not flying from one perch to another and just incidentally crossing the road, but rather diving at high speed then veering into the road and intersecting the path of an oncoming vehicle (in my observations to date, always a car or small truck--they do not seem to engage large trucks or buses). Their paths seem timed to skim above the car at midpoint or so, right where one might expect a large air "breaker"...I may have to try for video.

Corvids, of course.The oak/hickory wood behind our house is flush with several woodpecker species; we feed them throughout the year. If we neglect to refill the feeder, they land on the window frame and alternate pecking on the glass and cocking their heads to peer in with one eye. Of course, we hop to it.

...and stole back the Sun from the Sky Chief (which is how he got so sooty black)...

I'm envious--I haven't seen ravens surf. But I'm not surprised that they would take on the big trucks, which I haven't seen other birds do.

Okay, I'm going to veer radically on-topic here.Just read this in the October/November issue of National Wildlife: how human can they get, ladies?

Sure, they're thinking: one good shop vac, we could eat for days...This message has been edited by Omnivorous, 10-02-2005 07:07 PM

They not only exhibit tool use, they show evidence of sharing and a sense of fairness similar to ours. More from the October/November "National Wildlife" magazine: This message has been edited by AdminJar, 10-03-2005 08:24 AM

Thank you, jar, for the details and the link. My cable TV is kaput at present, and I couldn't check out the Nature show last night.You probably already know about the additional work done on the capuchins with regard to economic behavior, esp. their attachment (as fierce as ours) to "loss aversion" behavior. If not, and for those who aren't, check out this link: Spend Like a Monkey