动物使用工具行为研究进展

Research Progress of Animal Tool Use Behavior

使用工具曾被认为是人类独有的能力,然而,在过去的50年中,学界逐渐认识到工具的使用普遍存在于整个动物界。其中,使用工具最多的类群是哺乳类、鸟类和昆虫。动物使用工具有一定目标性,然而大多数动物仅考虑当前的目标,而非长远目标。动物使用工具的行为受到环境因素和动物自身认知能力、生理特点与进化历史的影响,并可能表现出一定的个体差异。有些动物使用工具的行为是与生俱来的,然而大部分高等动物通过试错学习获得使用工具的能力。通过模仿学习,一些使用工具的行为可以传播和演化,从而在种群中广泛分布。工具的使用是动物认知领域的核心概念之一,开展动物使用工具的研究,能够加深对动物认知能力和行为进化的理解。

Tool use was once considered as unique ability for humans.However,in the past 50 years,tool use has been widely observed throughout the animal kingdom,and therefore is more common than previously thought.Tool use in animals usually has certain purposes,and most animals use tools to achieve short-term goals instead of long-term goals.The tool-use behaviors may be influenced by environmental,cognitive,and physiological factors,and individual differences in tool use may be observed.For some animals,the tool use is an innate behavior.However,for most higher vertebrates,tool use usually involves the trial-and-error learning.Through social learning,some tool-use behaviors can spread and evolve,thus being widely distributed in the population.Tool use is one of the central concepts in animal cognition.Researches in tool use would enhance the understanding of cognitive abilities and behavioral evolution of animals.