Synonyms
Definition
Manipulating an object, by changing or modifying some property of that object, in order to make it function better as a tool.
Introduction
Tool use in animals is rare (despite the multitude of reports in the scientific and nontechnical literature; Shumaker et al. 2011). However, toolmaking is even rarer. Indeed, within the avian taxon, only two species regularly make tools in the wild, and three other species have been observed making tools in an experimental context in captivity. Only woodpecker finches (WF) and New Caledonian crows (NCC) use (some) tools that need to be either detached or fashioned in some way before use, rather than being found in a perfect state in which they can subsequently be used. There is an argument as to what constitutes tool manufacture. Does removing a spine from a cactus represent toolmaking, or is this a simple environmental manipulation that allows objects to function as tools? A cactus spine...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Auersperg, A., Szabo, B., von Bayern, A. M. P., & Kacelnik, A. (2012). Spontaneous innovation in tool manufacture and use in a Goffin’s cockatoo. Current Biology, 22, R903–R904.
Bird, C. D., & Emery, N. J. (2009). Insightful problem solving and creative tool modification by captive non-tool-using rooks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 106, 10370–10375.
Hunt, G. R. (1996). Manufacture and use of hook-tools by New Caledonian crows. Nature, 379, 249–251.
Hunt, G. R., & Gray, R. D. (2002). Species-wide manufacture of stick-type tools by New Caledonian crows. Emu, 102, 349–353.
Hunt, G. R., & Gray, R. D. (2004a). The crafting of hook tools by wild New Caledonian crows. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 271, S88–S90.
Hunt, G. R., & Gray, R. D. (2004b). Direct observations of pandanus-tool-manufacture and use by a New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides). Animal Cognition, 7, 114–120.
Jones, T. B., & Kamil, A. C. (1973). Tool-making and tool-using in the Northern blue jay. Science, 180, 1076–1078.
Klump, B. C., Sugasawa, S., St Clair, J. J. H., & Rutz, C. (2015). Hook tool manufacture in New Caledonian crows: Behavioural variation and the influence of raw materials. BioMed Central Biology, 13, 97.
Shumaker, R. W., Walkup, K. R., & Beck, B. B. (2011). Animal tool behavior: The use and manufacture of tools by animals. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
Tebbich, S., Teschke, I., Cartmill, E., & Stankewitz, S. (2012). Use of a barbed tool by an adult and a juvenile woodpecker finch (Cactospiza pallida). Behavioural Processes, 89, 166–171.
Weir, A. A. S., Chappell, J., & Kacelnik, A. (2002). Shaping of hooks in New Caledonian crows. Science, 297, 981.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this entry
Cite this entry
Emery, N. (2016). Tool Manufacturing. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3168-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3168-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences