Tool use by non-humans

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tool-use-by-non-humans

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the taxonomic diversity of tool users?Includes primates, corvids, elephants, cetaceans (dolphins), otters, cephalopods (octopuses), and fish
2. What is the key cognitive processes involved?Problem-solving, planning, object affordance recognition, fine motor control, and social learning
3. What animals are known to use tools?Many animals use tools, such as chimpanzees, baboons, crows, woodpecker finches, sea otters, dolphins, elephants, and even octopuses.
4. How do animals make or find tools?Animals find objects in nature, like sticks or stones, and shape or use them to reach food or protect themselves, sometimes carving or modifying them.

Anthropocentric: Viewing the world and human beings as the most significant entity.
Convergent Evolution: The independent evolution of similar features in different species.
Cognitive Architecture: The underlying mental structures and processes that enable thinking and behavior.