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One comment, re: tools to build tools. I've seen animals use rocks, in videos, to debark sticks, to be used to perform another task. That's a tool to make a t
by b112 4y ago
One comment, re: tools to build tools. I've seen animals use rocks, in videos, to debark sticks, to be used to perform another task.
That's a tool to make a tool, and I bet there are other cases.
In fact, I recall a video of a monkey, using a sharpened stone, to break the window of its habitat. To sharpen the stone, it used something else (the video did not say anything other than the monkey sharpened the stone).
So that is another case.
- perrygeo 4y agoYes - but have you ever seen a troop of monkeys organize themselves to produce a surplus of sharp stones for their collective advantage? Thankfully, monkeys do not have this recursive ability. Sadly, humans do.
- b112 4y agoNo on organizing themselves, but!, they do cache food. Most animals do. And parents share their cache with their young, naturally. And some animals have a larger definition of "family", than just young. Some have communal concepts. So I wonder, how close is the next step? The behaviour is there. I bet if a tool was rare, or hard to find, they would cache it. And that would leave the door open for communal caching. But my point is, animals "get" caching. Frankly, human caching behaviour must be instinctual to some degree. I wonder. A few things are required to have it even make sense. Take growing food. It requires a way to keep other animals at bay, otherwise, your work is all lost. But I think, it also requires the ability to clear land. Well anyhow. Enough rambling.