托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'tool use.' Now, I'm not just talking about primates using sticks to catch termites. I mean animals that use objects in their environment to solve problems, and this behavior is more widespread than you might think. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the sea otter. When a sea otter finds a clam, it can't crack the shell with its teeth alone. So, it will dive down and pick up a large stone, then float on its back, place the stone on its chest, and smash the clam against it. This stone acts as an anvil, allowing the otter to access the meat inside. Second, think about the woodpecker finch from the Galapagos Islands. This bird eats insects that live deep inside tree bark. To reach them, it doesn't just peck at the wood. Instead, it selects a cactus spine or a small twig, holds it in its beak, and uses it to probe and poke into the crevices, effectively 'fishing' for the insects. So, in both cases, these animals are not using their own bodies to get food, but rather using external objects as tools, which requires a level of problem-solving and cognitive ability. This challenges the traditional view that only humans or higher primates use tools, and shows that even 'simpler' animals can innovate to survive.