Video: Aesop-Inspired Study Shows Crows Can Be As Smart As Human Children
http://ak.c.ooyala.com/8xcTlmbDqaqhDg5-qyvofVv9VqBfHIJO/Ut_HKthATH4eww8X... Please enable Javascript to watch this video In Aesop's fable of The Crow and The Pitcher, the thirsty feathered protagonist comes across a pitcher partially filled with water, but cannot reach the delicious liquid with its beak--it's just out of reach. Being very clever, the crow drops stones into the pitcher until the water level rises and the crow can drink. But this is no mere fable. Recent studies have shown that New Caledonian crows--native to islands in the southwest Pacific--actually are capable of similarly ingenious feats, and can drop stones into tubes of water to raise the water level and retrieve floating pieces of food. But do they understand exactly what's going on? In other words, do they grasp that the stones are capable of displacing water? In a study published this week in PLOS ONE, researchers designed a series of tests to find out, and they concluded...