#thisstuffisamazing

Since it is time consuming to go over every single human trait and behavior to determine if it can be found in the wild, I have decided to narrow it down to a few major areas that stand out. From behavioral traits, I decided to use the problem established by the Ancient Philosophers and my personal solution, materialistic greed and empathy. A few other areas I will focus on is hand tools, cognitive thinking, problem-solving, and self-control.

First up is hand tools. This used to be the defining feature between humans and animals, but due to recent research this is no longer the case. Dolphins have been shown to use sponges as protection as they rifle through a coral reef for food (Mann et al.; 2012). Chimpanzees and orangutans use sticks to spear fish. Capuchins use rocks to crack open nuts. Humans are not unique in category by any means. If anything, our cognitive thinking abilities are what allow us to go from simple to complex tools.

Unfortunately, it is hard to determine if an animal is using cognitive thinking skills during a lab experiment. One main skill of cognitive thinking is planning ahead. A lab experiment performed on corvids claimed that they were planning hours in advance, but another study evaluated their claim, suggesting that it was not cognitive thinking but cognitive flexibility that they were showing (Hampton; 2018). A good example to define the difference involves the strategic hunting of African Wild Dogs. In a Nat. Geo. Wild Video, it shows the dog hunting a prey animal. The strategy involved driving it directly down the hill to the rest of the pack. Unexpectedly, the prey ran to the left instead of straight down. Even more unexpectedly, the pack shifted to the left to greet it. Were they doing this instinctively? Or were they prepared for this (National Geographic)?

Problem-solving is technically part of cognitive thinking, but I wanted to include it separately. Many species have been shown to problem solve. An experiment involving water displacement was given to ravens. They were placed in front of a clear tube. At the bottom of the tube was a piece of food floating in a bit of water. To retrieve the food, they had to drop rocks into the water to cause displacement, which elevated the food within their reach. They were able to perform the task with little problem (Video). Chimps have also been shown to complete problem solving tasks, although they go through a learning curve (Video).

The last one is self-control. This is an important topic that I will revisit later. I just want to point out that humans are not the only ones that can restrain themselves. A good example is any animal that hunts. To catch prey, one has to remain patient. Another example involves a passerine bird. This small bird was placed in front of a clear tube that contained a piece of food in it. The openings to the tube were perpendicular to its position. To show self-control it would have to withhold from trying to pluck the food from the middle, and instead walk to either opening on the side. It was able to do just that. Other types of animals have past this experiment as well, like corvids (Isaksson et al., 2018).

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