More Than One Tool Some animals use more than one tool. Striated herons in Japan use live insects, berries, and twigs when they go fishing. T ey use these things as bait. When a fish is in sight, the heron lunges forward. It snatches the fish and gobbles it up. Other animals use simple tools


in complex ways. New Caledonian crows living in the South Pacific can use several tools to reach a goal. T ese crows can make leſt -handed and right-handed tools for themselves. T at makes using tools easier for them. Scientists observed that most of these crows are right-handed.


The Right Tool for the Job Tool use isn’t just found among land animals. Many marine animals use tools, too. A pod of dolphins in Australia surprised some scientists when they used sponges as a tool. T e dolphins tore off bits of sponge


from the seafloor. T ey gripped the sponges in their beaked mouths. T en they stirred their noses in the rough rocks. T ey were searching for hidden fish to eat. T e soſt sponges protected their noses from the rocks. Sea otters also use tools to get food.


T ey love to eat a shellfish called abalone. But it can be tough to open their shells. So, a sea otter balances a small stone on its stomach. T en the otter hammers the shell against the rock. Soon, the shell will crack, and the otter will have its meal.


A sponge held on a dolphin’s beak protects its skin from the rough rocks on the seafl oor.


Body Armor T e veined octopus makes tools out of what it can find on the ocean floor. Oſt en it stacks shells on either side of its body. T ese shells are like a suit of armor.


Now a predator will have a


hard time attacking it. T e shells will protect the octopus.


MAY 2015 7


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