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Animal behaviour: Laterality in tool manufacture by crows.

G R Hunt¹, M C Corballis, R D Gray

¹Department of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland 92019, New Zealand. grhunt10@hotmail.com

|December 14, 2001

Summary

New Caledonian crows exhibit tool-making laterality, a skill previously thought unique to humans. This species-level finding in crows suggests innate biases in tool manipulation, not just social learning.

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Area of Science:

Ethology
Animal Behavior
Cognitive Evolution

Background:

New Caledonian crows are known for sophisticated tool manufacture and use.
Tool-making in animals often involves complex cognitive processes.
Laterality, or handedness, in motor skills is well-documented in humans.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the prevalence and nature of tool-making laterality in New Caledonian crows.
To determine if tool-making handedness in crows is consistent across different populations.
To explore the evolutionary implications of tool-making laterality outside of humans.

Main Methods:

Observing and analyzing the tool-making techniques of New Caledonian crows from various localities.
Documenting the specific edge (left or right) of pandanus leaves used for tool construction.
Comparing laterality patterns across different geographical populations.

Main Results:

New Caledonian crows demonstrate consistent laterality in fashioning pandanus tools.
This tool-making handedness was observed across different crow populations.
The findings suggest the laterality is not solely due to local traditions or environmental factors.

Conclusions:

Species-level laterality in complex manipulative skills, like tool making, exists in New Caledonian crows.
This study presents the first evidence of such species-level laterality in tool manipulation outside of humans.
The findings challenge the notion that advanced handedness is exclusively a human trait and suggest deeper evolutionary roots.