Presentation Use of tools by animals.ppt - Project "Use of tools by animals" (Grade 3). Qualitative differences between animal tools and human labor tools The problem of the emergence of social relations and articulate speech

Created on 29.02.2012 22:44

Until 1963, when Jane Goodall's work on wild chimpanzees and their use of tools was published, most scientists believed that tool use was a trait unique to humans. Half a century later, we are finally beginning to understand that the line between humans and other animals is rather thin. To prove this, we present to the attention of readers descriptions of 15 representatives of the animal kingdom who use tools in everyday life.

crows

elephants

Elephants have a distinctive ability to use tools with their flexible trunks. They scratch their backs with sticks, fan themselves with leaves to ward off flies, chew the bark to make it porous enough to absorb drinking water. But perhaps the most amazing property of elephants is their artistic abilities. Zookeepers give the elephants brushes, and these sensual creatures show off their extraordinary talent!

hutches

Most birds exhibit a common tool-related trait: nest building. Barbequers, commonly seen in Australia and New Guinea, do even more, and their motives are purely romantic. To attract a partner, male bowerbirds build a complex dwelling - a carefully constructed "hut", in the creation of which various objects are often used, such as bottle caps, beads, glass fragments, and in general, everything that can be found and attracts attention.

Primates

There are endless examples of primate tool use. To name a few: chimpanzees use sticks for termite mining, stones and wooden tools for cracking nuts, sharp spears made from sticks for hunting; gorillas measure the depth of the reservoir with a staff; orangutans can open the lock with a paper clip; stone knives are made by capuchins by striking pieces of flint on the floor until sharp edges are produced.

Dolphins

The intelligence of dolphins is well known, but due to the fact that they do not have hands, but fins, many experts did not assume that these animals use tools. In any case, until 2005, when a flock of bottlenose dolphins were caught doing an interesting thing: they tore their lips and wrapped their noses in pieces, apparently in order to avoid scratches while hunting on the seabed.

Common Vultures

Birds are among the most skillful tool-wielding creatures, and one of the most striking examples is the common vulture. One of his favorite treats is ostrich eggs, but the thick shell is quite difficult to break. To solve this problem, vultures manipulate stones with their beaks and hit them until the egg cracks.

Octopuses

Octopuses are considered the most intelligent invertebrates on the planet, and they often improvise with tools. This guy in the photo carries two halves of the shell with him and, in case of danger, closes them and, thus, hides. And another species of octopus tears off the tentacles of jellyfish and brandishes them as a weapon during the attack.

woodpecker

There are several types of tool-using finches, but the most famous one is obviously the Galapagos woodpecker. Since its beak cannot always squeeze into small holes where insects live, the bird compensates for this shortcoming with a branch of a suitable size, with which it takes out food.

Ants and wasps

Even insects use tools, especially social species such as ants and wasps. One of the most famous examples is the leaf-cutting ant, which developed an advanced agricultural system by cutting leaves and using them as containers to transport food and water. And single wasps break up clods of earth with the help of small pebbles.

green herbs

The resourcefulness of green herons allows them to become excellent fishermen. Instead of entering the water and waiting for prey to surface, these animals use fishing lures to get the fish to come within striking distance. Some night herons have been seen throwing food, such as bread crumbs, onto the water to attract fish.

sea otters

Even the strong jaws of a sea otter are not always enough to open the shell of a delicious clam or oyster. And this is where the cute marine mammal is smart. The otter always carries a stone around its belly and uses it to open its food.

arrow fish

Most insect-eating fish wait for their prey and then fall clumsily into the water, but not arrowfish. Instead, fish of this species use a specially designed mouth to literally shoot insects with a jet of water. And they have excellent aim. An adult shooter almost never misses, and this fish can hit an insect located on a leaf or branch at a distance of no more than three meters.

Crabs

Even crabs use tools. With the help of claws, you can perfectly manipulate objects. Crabs of some species dress up as sea anemones, pulling them over their backs. Usually they do it for the purpose of disguise, although in other cases, probably just to look beautiful.

beavers

Beavers make extensive use of tools. These animals build their dams to protect themselves from predators and provide free access to food and calm swimming. Some dams reach 800 meters in length. Beavers build their structures by cutting down trees and covering them with mud and rocks.

parrots

Parrots may be the smartest birds in the world, and there are plenty of examples of how they use tools. Many owners of these birds learn about this skill when a pet, using a piece of metal or plastic, lifts the lock of the cage. The palm cockatoo (shown here) has been known to wrap leaves around its beak to open nuts with a twisting motion, similar to how a person would pick up a towel to increase the friction to open a bottle.

First of all, it is important to emphasize that a tool can be any object used by an animal to solve a specific problem in a specific situation. The instrument of labor, on the other hand, must certainly be specially made for certain labor operations and implies knowledge of its future use. They are made for the future even before the possibility or need for their use arises. In itself, such activity is biologically meaningless and even harmful (a waste of time and energy “for nothing”) and can only be justified by foreseeing the emergence of such situations in which one cannot do without tools.

This means that the manufacture of labor tools presupposes the foreseeing of possible causal relationships in the future, and at the same time, as Ladygina-Kots showed, the chimpanzee is unable to comprehend such relationships even when preparing a tool for its direct use in the course of solving a problem.
Connected with this is the important circumstance that, during the use of tools by monkeys, the tool does not at all retain its "working" meaning. Outside the specific situation of solving the problem, for example, before and after the experiment, the object that served as a tool loses all functional significance for the monkey, and it treats it in exactly the same way as any other “useless” object. The operation performed by the monkey with the help of the tool is not fixed on it, and outside of its direct use the monkey treats it indifferently, and therefore does not keep it permanently as a tool. In contrast to this, not only does man store the tools he has made, but the tools themselves store the methods of influence carried out by man on natural objects.

Moreover, even with the individual manufacture of a tool, there is a production of a social object, because this object has a special way of using it, which is socially developed in the process of collective labor and which is assigned to it. Each instrument of man is the material embodiment of a certain socially developed labor operation.
Thus, a fundamental change in all behavior is associated with the emergence of labor: from the general activity aimed at the immediate satisfaction of a need, a special action is singled out, not directed by a direct biological motive and gaining its meaning only with the further use of its results. This is one of the most important changes in the general structure of behavior, marking the transition from the natural history of the animal world to the social history of mankind. With the further development of social relations and forms of production, such actions, not directly directed by biological motives, occupy an ever greater place in human activity and finally acquire decisive importance for all his behavior.

The genuine manufacture of labor tools presupposes the impact on the object not directly by effector organs (teeth, hands), but by another object, i.e., the processing of the manufactured tool must be carried out with another tool (for example, a stone). Findings of precisely such products of activity (flakes, chisels) serve for anthropologists as true evidence of the presence of labor activity in our ancestors.

A wide variety of animals use tools in a variety of situations, in particular for obtaining food and for protection. Elcock gives an excellent overview of the use of tools related to nutrition, and offers the following definition: “The use of tools consists in the manipulation of some inanimate object created outside of its own body. animal and increasing the effectiveness of its actions aimed at changing the position or shape of any other object. If this definition is accepted, then behaviors such as interactions between individuals and catching prey with the help of webs cannot be considered the use of tools.

There are many examples of the use of tools by animals. We have already talked about the use of stones by sea otters to open mollusk shells, and the use of wooden sticks by chimpanzees to brush each other's teeth. The archerfish direct streams of water at the prey on land in order to throw it into the water where it can be caught. Various types of birds use the twigs or spines of cacti to extract insects from bark or other inaccessible places. Some birds have been reported breaking the eggs of other birds by dropping rocks on them and then eating the contents.

Van Lawick-Goodall describes two interesting examples of tool making (processing objects that are then used as tools) in chimpanzees. In one case, plant branches or stems are first stripped of side branches and introduced into termite nests; the monkey eats termites adhering to such a twig. In another case, chimpanzees chew leaves, compress them into clumps, and use them as a sponge to extract drinking water from tree hollows.

It is clear that tool behaviors have arisen independently many times and that they often represent only minor modifications in the existing repertoire of behaviors of the animals concerned.

Thomas Breuer and his colleagues from the Wildlife Conservation Society observed wild gorillas in the Congo National Park (Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park) and for the first time recorded the fact that these primates use a tool that has nothing to do with food.

In the eyes of researchers, a female gorilla named Leah (Leah) made her way through a swampy reservoir created by elephants. The monkey went into the water to the waist, then returned to the shore and found a long stick.

With this tool, Leia began to check the depth - to poke a stick in front of her, feeling the bottom with it. After walking about 10 meters in this way, the gorilla returned to land with her cub.

Most examples of tool use by large primates are related to food in one way or another. In captivity, gorillas drop objects and use sticks to get food out of hard-to-reach places, but tool-wielding gorillas have never been seen in the wild. Not to mention the use of them for a purpose, such as determining depth.

Crows demonstrate one of the most quick wits in the animal world. Their arsenal of resourceful tricks includes manipulating sticks and twigs to get insects out of logs, dropping walnuts in front of moving cars to crack shells, and even using recycled paper as a rake or sponge. A case was recorded when 2-3 crows played football with a tightly rolled piece of paper on one of the roofs.

About a year ago, a team of scientists led by Eric Patterson from Georgetown University in Washington (USA) discovered that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus aduncus) living in Western Australia's Shark Bay use tools to hunt bottom fish.

Hungry dolphins tore off sea sponges, which abound in the bottom of the bay, and "put" them on the pointed part of the snout. After that, they stirred up the bottom layer of sediments and scared the perches. These fish swim quite slowly and burrow into the mud after swimming to a safe distance. Sponges serve as a "glove" for dolphins, which protects them from injury.

In a new article, Patterson's group summarizes 22 years of observation of dolphin communities in Shark Bay, showing that mastery of sponge use is important to social relationships within them.

"A tendency to associate with tool-like individuals became evident from the analysis... (In particular), female sponge makers prefer to be with sponge makers rather than non-sponge makers, as are humans who also prefer to have dealing with people of their own subculture," the article says.

According to scientists, this again shows that the use of sponges as a tool is a cultural skill.

Octopuses are considered the most intelligent invertebrates on the planet, and they often improvise with tools. This octopus in the photo carries two halves of the shell with him and, in case of danger, closes them and, thus, hides. And another species of octopus tears off the tentacles of jellyfish and brandishes them as a weapon during the attack.

In 1963, after many years of observing wild chimpanzees, Jane Goodall published a paper on the use of various tools by monkeys. Until then, the scientific world believed that the ability to use tools, and even more so to make them, is a trait that is unique to humans.

If you take a closer look at the animal world, it becomes clear that absolutely everyone works and very many use a wide variety of tools in their lives. Jane gave the first documented examples of wild animals not only using objects as tools, but also modifying them to suit their needs.

Monkeys

The working skills of monkeys are endless. They use a lot of tools: from simple shelves to the production of complex tools. Sharp spears are used by many species for hunting, gorillas have learned to measure the depth of a reservoir with a staff, and capuchins beat off parts from a piece of silicon, making knives. Many primates clean their wool with bunches of dry leaves, and the leaves in a compressed form are used as sponges if you need to pick up water from pits.

crows

Ravens took an honorable second place after primates in quick wit and intelligence. Their arsenal of resourceful tricks is wide and varied. They use branches to extract insects from logs and drop walnuts from a height onto a hard surface to break the shells.

Vultures

Large birds are very fond of eating ostrich eggs, but it is very difficult to break a thick shell even with their powerful beak, so vultures use a stone that they drop on a delicacy.

reel

The Galapagos woodpecker, in order to get tasty insects from small holes in the bark, finds a stick of a suitable size and, holding it in its beak, picks out lunch.

Kwak

The resourcefulness of feathered fishermen can be envied. They do not like to wait for a long time for any fish to approach the surface of the water. Birds throw bait (crumbs of bread or other leftover food) into the pond, which attracts fish and soon the future dinner will bite on the bait.

The Bears

Bears deftly balance on their hind legs, which allows them to fully use their free front paws and hold tools. Forest clubfoots use sticks to knock fruits from trees, and polar bears sometimes take stones and blocks of ice in their paws to kill pinnipeds.

otters

Sea otters are very fond of oysters, but even their strong jaws cannot always cope with a strong shell, so the creature wears a pebble in a fold on its stomach, with which it deftly opens prey or finds a block at the bottom.

The use of tools in one's life was considered a privilege of a person. It turned out that this was not the case. Animals can also use all sorts of ready-made environmental items and can make tools themselves.

Woodpecker finch, having reached the course of the insect, flies in search of a cactus thorn. Armed, he takes a thorn at one end and puts it into the hole, trying to drive the insect out of the shelter. If it is "stubborn" and does not want to get out, the reel pierces it on the edge of the thorn and then pulls out its delicacy.

There are times when birds of prey, in order to cope with the victim, are not enough of their powerful tools - beak and claws. And then improvised means come to the rescue. Vultures only with the help of stones manage to break strong ostrich eggs. The bird takes a stone in its beak and very accurately throws it at the egg. This can be repeated several times, until the egg cracks and abundant nutritional contents flow from it.

sea otter or sea otter - in order to overcome the shells of a mollusk or the spines of a hedgehog, uses a stone. He dives and pulls out a fist-sized flat rock from the bottom. Then he turns on his back, puts a stone on his chest and, holding the shell tightly in his paws, beats it hard on an impromptu anvil. The stone he likes is carried with him under his arm.

The chimpanzee, using a strong stick, makes a hole in the termite mound, tears off a thin stalk of grass, moistens it with saliva and sticks it into the hole. Termites rush to seal the hole, which the chimpanzee carefully takes out with the help of a blade of grass and forwards to the mouth, stick to the wet blade of grass.

If the fishing gear for some reason does not fit, the chimpanzee corrects it. So, if there are side shoots on the branch, the monkey removes them. If it is a stalk of grass and it is bent, then she gnaws off the tip with her teeth. To enhance some of their actions, chimpanzees use stones.

Dolphins tore their lips and wrapped their noses in pieces, apparently to avoid scratches while hunting on the seabed.

Ants and wasps cut leaves and use them as containers to transport food and water. And single wasps break up clods of earth with small pebbles.

Until 1963, when Jane Goodall's work on wild chimpanzees and their use of tools was published, most scientists believed that tool use was a trait unique to humans. Half a century later, we are finally beginning to understand that the line between humans and other animals is rather thin. To prove this, we offer descriptions of 15 representatives of the animal kingdom who use tools in everyday life.

Aside from primates, crows are the most intelligent animals in the world. Their arsenal of resourceful tricks includes manipulating sticks and twigs to get insects out of logs, dropping walnuts in front of moving cars to crack shells, and even using recycled paper as a rake or sponge.
Elephants have a distinctive ability to use tools with their flexible trunks. They scratch their backs with sticks, fan themselves with leaves to ward off flies, chew the bark to make it porous enough to absorb drinking water. But perhaps the most amazing property of elephants is their artistic abilities. Zookeepers give elephants brushes, and these sensual creatures show off their talent!
Most birds exhibit a common tool-related trait: nest building. Barbequers, commonly seen in Australia and New Guinea, do even more, and their motives are purely romantic. To attract a partner, male bowerbirds build a complex dwelling - a carefully constructed "hut", in the creation of which various objects are often used, such as bottle caps, beads, glass fragments, and in general, everything that can be found and attracts attention.
There are endless examples of primate tool use. To name a few: chimpanzees use sticks for termite mining, stones and wooden tools for cracking nuts, sharp spears made from sticks for hunting; gorillas measure the depth of the reservoir with a staff; orangutans can open the lock with a paper clip; Capuchins make stone knives by striking pieces of flint on the floor until they have sharp edges.
The intelligence of dolphins is well known, but due to the fact that they do not have hands, but fins, many experts did not assume that these animals use tools. In any case, until 2005, when a flock of bottlenose dolphins were caught doing an interesting thing: they tore their lips and wrapped their noses in pieces, apparently in order to avoid scratches while hunting on the seabed.
Birds are among the most skillful tool-wielding creatures, and one of the most striking examples is the common vulture. One of his favorite treats is ostrich eggs, but the thick shell is quite difficult to break. To solve this problem, vultures manipulate stones with their beaks and hit them until the egg cracks.
Octopuses are considered the most intelligent invertebrates on the planet, and they often improvise with tools. This guy in the photo carries two halves of the shell with him and, in case of danger, closes them and, thus, hides. And another species of octopus tears off the tentacles of jellyfish and brandishes them as a weapon during the attack.
There are several types of tool-using finches, but the most famous one is obviously the Galapagos woodpecker. Since its beak cannot always squeeze into small holes where insects live, the bird compensates for this shortcoming with a branch of a suitable size, with which it takes out food.
Even insects use tools, especially social species such as ants and wasps. One of the most famous examples is the leaf-cutting ant, which developed an advanced agricultural system by cutting leaves and using them as containers to transport food and water. And single wasps break up clods of earth with the help of small pebbles.
The resourcefulness of green herons allows them to become excellent fishermen. Instead of entering the water and waiting for prey to surface, these animals use fishing lures to get the fish to come within striking distance. Some night herons have been seen throwing food, such as bread crumbs, onto the water to attract fish.
Even the strong jaws of a sea otter are not always enough to open the shell of a delicious clam or oyster. And this is where the cute marine mammal is smart. The otter always carries a stone around its belly and uses it to open its food.
Most insect-eating fish wait for their prey and then fall clumsily into the water, but not arrowfish. Instead, fish of this species use a specially designed mouth to literally shoot insects with a jet of water. And they have excellent aim. An adult shooter almost never misses, and this fish can hit an insect located on a leaf or branch at a distance of no more than three meters.