Unveiled: Ravens Showcasing a Remarkable Intelligence Levels
In a groundbreaking study published this week in the journal Science, researchers from Lund University have found that ravens possess a remarkable ability to pre-plan tasks, on par with humans and some great apes. The study, led by Can Kabadayi and Mathias Osvath, involved five captive ravens. Initially, the researchers taught the birds to place a special tool in a tube to receive a treat. After mastering this task, the researchers took the box and tool away before offering the ravens a choice of objects. About 80% of the time, the ravens selected the correct tool and performed the task to get their treat, demonstrating an impressive understanding of the situation and the ability to remember and apply what they had learned. The researchers repeated the experiment with a 17-hour delay, and the birds were successful nearly 90% of the time, suggesting that their ability to pre-plan was not a one-off occurrence. Alex Taylor, an animal cognition expert from the University of Auckland, finds these results surprising. 'Ravens are known for their problem-solving capabilities, but the extent of their pre-planning skills is truly remarkable,' he notes. The study also explored the ravens' ability to show delayed gratification. In the final experiments, the birds could choose between an immediate food reward and a token for their favorite kibble (delayed gratification). Remarkably, ravens selected the token for their favorite kibble over 70% of the time, indicating a level of patience and foresight that is rare in the animal kingdom. The researchers also tested the ravens' bartering skills, and they passed over 90% of the time. Although these are not behaviors they display in the wild, the findings suggest that ravens may have a general planning ability that can be used with novel behaviors, similar to humans and great apes. Interestingly, ravens were found to be more skilled than human children in planning ahead to open a reward box. This finding challenges the notion that humans are uniquely special in their cognitive abilities. However, Mathias Osvath cautions that the results are open to interpretation, and the ravens may be outsmarting the experiment. Future experiments should be able to discern exactly how clever ravens are. Kabadayi and Osvath are currently investigating ravens' use of preplanning in tasks extending into an unseen future, exploring how these birds anticipate and prepare for future events beyond immediate experience. These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that birds, particularly ravens, have a level of cognitive ability that was previously underestimated. As we continue to study these intelligent creatures, we may uncover even more surprising insights into their remarkable minds.
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