M. Andina | March 21, 2017

Figure 1. In this screenshot from the video linked below, a crow solves the puzzle.

Cause and effect. How do fluids work? You observe closely, try one way, and try the other. But it doesn’t work, so it’s time to get creative and use some tools. Yeah, that will work.  Tools will do the job. Cause and effect: it’s easy when you are a crow. 

That was awesome, right? Crows learn over their long lives and, much like we do, use tools from their environment to shape their destiny. A very interesting fact is that their brains are too big for what is expected in a bird. Here’s some more to satisfy your curious whim. 

For their problem-solving ability, crows will remain an invaluable model of animal learning and likely help to understand how causality is represented in the brain.