托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'tool use' — the ability of animals to use objects from their environment to achieve a goal. For a long time, scientists believed this was a uniquely human trait, but we now know it's more widespread. However, the key point is that tool use is not just about intelligence; it often arises from specific ecological pressures. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the woodpecker finch from the Galápagos Islands. These birds use cactus spines to poke into tree bark and extract insects. They do this because their beaks are too short to reach the insects directly. So, the need to access food in a harsh environment drove this behavior. Second, think about sea otters. They use rocks to crack open shellfish. Why? Because they live in the ocean where their prey has hard shells, and they lack strong jaws to break them. So, again, the environmental challenge of getting food led to this innovative solution. In both cases, the animals aren't 'thinking' like humans; they are responding to survival needs with adaptive behaviors.