Fish photographed using tools

Adam Khor

Ok, I'll take the liberty of starting a few threads seeing as there's not much to begin with

Here's an interesting news report on a fish (the blackspot tuskfish, Choerodon schoenleinii) that was recently photographed using a rock to smash open a clam. Of course, lacking hands, the fish can´t actually hold the rock and use it as a hammer; instead, it grabs the clam with its mouth and smashes it against the rock. Some scientists say this is not tool use because the fish doesn´t actually hold the tool, but this sounds like nonsense to me; the fact remains that the fish is using a stone to open a clam it couldn´t eat otherwise.

This is a blackspot tuskfish:



And here's the news report:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-07-photo-fish-tools.html%5DFirst%20ever%20photo%20of%20fish%20using%20tools%5B/url/

steddyeddy

Adam Khor wrote: »

Ok, I'll take the liberty of starting a few threads seeing as there's not much to begin with

Here's an interesting news report on a fish (the blackspot tuskfish, Choerodon schoenleinii) that was recently photographed using a rock to smash open a clam. Of course, lacking hands, the fish can´t actually hold the rock and use it as a hammer; instead, it grabs the clam with its mouth and smashes it against the rock. Some scientists say this is not tool use because the fish doesn´t actually hold the tool, but this sounds like nonsense to me; the fact remains that the fish is using a stone to open a clam it couldn´t eat otherwise.

This is a blackspot tuskfish:



And here's the news report:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-07-photo-fish-tools.html%5DFirst%20ever%20photo%20of%20fish%20using%20tools%5B/url/

Thanks Adam thats very interesting. It used to be that man's accolade was "man the tool user" until Jane goodall observed chimps using tools. Jane then wrote a letter to her patron Louis leakey to which leakey replied with the now famous statement:

Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.

It seems a lot that we learn about animals shows us that we are not as unique as we once thought.

steddyeddy

Another very smart water dweller is the octopus which has been seen using tools such as coconuts as camouflage or protection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOmBUct0fWg

Adam Khor

steddyeddy wrote: »

Another very smart water dweller is the octopus which has been seen using tools such as coconuts as camouflage or protection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOmBUct0fWg

That is precisely why I don´t eat octopi anymore. It just doesn´t feel right XD I know that I eat other animals that are certainly intelligent, but, I haven´t seen them doing stuff like this on Animal Planet so, I can have a double moral and keep eating cheezburger