I thought yall might think this was cool A tool using Octopus

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The discussion centers on the significance of tool use in animals, particularly octopuses, and its implications for understanding intelligence. While tool use is often viewed as an indicator of advanced cognitive abilities, the conversation questions why certain behaviors, like nest-making in birds, are not similarly recognized. Both activities involve foraging, transporting materials, and repurposing them, suggesting that the distinction may be more about human perceptions of intelligence rather than a clear biological difference. The dialogue emphasizes that all species are adapted to their ecological niches, and the criteria for measuring intelligence in the animal kingdom may need reevaluation.
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That's great. I loved watching the octopus carry the shell!

OK, I thought about this a bit...I'm not a biologist so bare with me :smile:.

Biologists have a fascination for animals using tools. I don't think they would say tool-using animals are "more advanced" though, since all living things are as advanced as they need to be to fit into their ecological niche. Yet tool use is seen as a mark of intelligence since it requires planning for the future.

So why is tool use seen as a marker of intelligence, but something such nest-making is not? In making a nest, a bird forages for material, transports it, and then uses it in a fashion for which it was not intended. A chimp does the same thing when it strip twigs off of branches to use them to fish out termites How is that different?
 
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