Items14The creator’s order
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New Caledonian crowWild crows in New Caledonia make hooks out of forked twigs and use them to pull invertebrates from holes in wood. They also cut strips from pandanus leaves, a different material that gives them a tool with a barbed edge.0 - 2
Amphioctopus marginatusThe veined octopus has been filmed carrying coconut shell halves across the seafloor in Indonesia. It holds the shells beneath its body and walks awkwardly on the ends of its arms. A half shell becomes a hiding place, and two halves can close around the animal.0 - 3
ChimpanzeeIn the Goualougo Triangle in the Republic of the Congo, chimpanzees can use a sturdy stick to open a passage into a termite nest. Then they dip in a flexible plant stem with a frayed end. The brush gathers termites as the chimpanzee draws it out.0 - 4
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinSome dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, wear a marine sponge over the tip of their snout while searching the seafloor for prey. The sponge may protect the snout as it probes the bottom. The habit runs mainly from mothers to offspring in this population.0 - 5
Sea otterSouthern sea otters in California use rocks or other hard objects to get at prey inside tough shells. A study that followed individuals found that frequent tool users could get through larger or harder prey and showed less tooth damage.0 - 6
Black-striped capuchinBearded capuchins at Fazenda Boa Vista in Brazil set palm nuts on a hard surface and pound them with a heavy stone. A rock or a log can serve as the anvil. Young animals can handle nuts and stones at the same sites that experienced monkeys use.0 - 7
Woodpecker finchOn the Galápagos Islands, woodpecker finches use twigs and cactus spines to reach insects in holes and crevices. A bird may shorten a twig or remove its side branches before probing, giving it a better fit where the beak can’t reach.0 - 8
Macaca fascicularisOn islands in Thailand, some long-tailed macaques crack open oysters with stones while the shells are still attached to rock. The same populations can use heavier stones on some loose foods. What they choose depends in part on what needs opening.0 - 9
Blackspot tuskfishA blackspot tuskfish on the southern Great Barrier Reef was photographed gripping a cockle in its mouth and striking it against a rock. The fish kept hitting the same hard surface until the shell broke. Here the fish moves the prey and the rock serves as a fixed anvil.0 - 10
Egyptian vultureAn intact ostrich egg is hard to open with a beak. In East Africa, Egyptian vultures have been observed picking up stones in their bills and throwing them at the shell. The stone delivers the blow; the bird can feed once the shell breaks.0
