[VIDEO] A Crow Named '007' Solves The Most Difficult Mind Puzzle Ever Constructed
Multi-step puzzles can be difficult for humans, but what if we told you there was a bird (a crow to be specific) that could solve them on its own?
By Sadho Ram — 03 May 2014, 09:23 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Crows are amazingly smart, smarter than all other birds and even most other animals, and a BBC Two program about animal intelligence has once again demonstrated the incredible powers of the corvid mind
If you think that's an exaggeration, it's not. Crows use tools, and even save good ones for future use; know how to use their environments, such as human car traffic, to help get food; recognise human faces across generations, remembering humans who have done them either harm or good and reacting accordingly; and are the only bird to have passed the mirror recognition test.
cnet.com.au
Recently, British researcher Dr. Alex Taylor set up a rather complex set of problems for a crow to solve
It consists of eight distinct steps that the bird, nicknamed 007, has to complete in a specific order to get to the food, collecting tools from difficult-to-reach locations, and using them in a variety of ways to finally get to the piece of meat. 007 is familiar with each of the items, but has never before had to put them together and use them in this way.
The test is the most difficult crow test devised to date
Dr. Alex Taylor describe the puzzle as "one of the most complex tests of the animal mind ever." The experiment features in BBC Two programme ‘Inside the Animal Mind – The Problem Solvers’. It shows 007 completing the eight stage puzzle in approximately two-and-a-half minutes.
dailymail.co.uk
This isn't the first time crows' intelligence has been tested, either. Along with being problem solvers, these animals have an eerie tendency towards complex human-like memory skills. Through several different studies, we've learned that crows can recognize faces, communicate details of an event to each other and even avoid places they recognize as dangerous.