托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating phenomenon in animal behavior called 'tool use.' While many people think tool use is unique to humans, several animal species have been observed using objects to achieve goals. One key point is that tool use can be learned and passed down through generations, which shows cultural transmission in animals. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the New Caledonian crow. These crows are known to fashion hooks from twigs to extract insects from tree bark. They not only use these tools but also modify them, and young crows learn this technique by observing older crows. Second, think about sea otters. They use stones to crack open shellfish. A sea otter will float on its back, place a stone on its chest, and then smash the shellfish against the stone. This behavior is not innate from birth; mothers teach their pups, and the pups practice until they master it. So, in both cases, we see that tool use is a learned behavior, transmitted socially, which challenges the idea that it's purely instinctual or human-exclusive.