Tool Use By Animals - Definition of "tool"

Definition of "tool"

The key to identifying tool use is defining what constitutes a tool. Researchers of animal behavior have arrived at different formulations.

"an object carried or maintained for future use" —Finn, Tregenza, and Norman, 2009. "the use of physical objects other than the animal's own body or appendages as a means to extend the physical influence realized by the animal" —Jones and Kamil, 1973 "An object that has been modified to fit a purpose" or "An inanimate object that one uses or modifies in some way to cause a change in the environment, thereby facilitating one's achievement of a target goal". —Hauser, 2000

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