Animal intelligence is a hotly debated topic in the biological sciences, and recent field studies of ravens indicate that these birds may be aware of their actions in a way that suggests a high-level of cognition that could be interpreted as intelligence. The common raven is a member of the Corvidae family, which includes nutcrackers, jays, crows, and magpies. Corvids have been observed using tools to gather food. For example, jays place acorns on branches, which they use as anvils, and crows have been observed using sticks to pry food out of cracks. While scientists disagree about whether or not the use of tools is an unambiguous example of animal intelligence, most concede that such use demonstrates at least a capacity for problem solving. And even if a cognitive capacity were found to exist, questions would still remain about the extent to which this capacity reflects intelligence.
In hundreds of hours of field observations, biologist Bernd Heinrich recorded numerous raven behaviors that he did not consider to be examples of a simple, stimulus-response mechanism. Instead, Heinrich concluded that some of these behaviors demonstrated a level of intelligent action. Two examples of feeding behavior illustrate Heinrich’s findings: ravens, which are omnivores, eat mainly carrion and associate with animals that kill large game, and ravens cache excess food from a kill site for later retrieval. Heinrich observed ravens sharing food at a moose kill and making loud vocalizations that alerted other ravens to the find. Did the ravens draw attention to the find because they were aware that there was something to be gained from sharing? In Heinrich’s view, ravens cooperate in gathering food because they recognize that alerting other ravens to carcasses benefits each individual in times of scarcity. According to his theory, ravens are better able to utilize scarce resources by taking advantage of all food sources, which gives them a competitive edge. Heinrich also observed ravens pulling meat off a carcass and stacking the meat in a pile. The ravens then carried the entire stack in their bills, thus increasing the amount of food carried to the cache site. Heinrich considered the raven’s actions to demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of the concept of efficiency. Regardless of any scientific conclusions drawn from these behaviors, ravens offer many opportunities to observe a complex animal mind.
1. The author is primarily concerned withA. demonstrating how animals learn behaviors in a controlled environment
B. refuting claims that observations of raven behaviors demonstrate cognition
C. discussing tool use in different bird species
D. providing examples of raven behaviors that may demonstrate intelligence
E. questioning the importance of fieldwork in the biological sciences
2. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?A. The feeding behavior of ravens can best be explained as a stimulus-response mechanism.
B. Observations of ravens in their natural environment raise interesting questions about their intelligence.
C. While caution should be used when interpreting field observations, raven behavior suggests that these birds do not demonstrate cognition.
D. Ravens are the only corvids to be observed undertaking activities that suggest the capacity to solve problems.
E. Biologists are firmly convinced of the lack of intelligent activity in the animal kingdom.
3. The author cites examples of the use of tools by crows and jays to provide support for which of the following claims?A. Tool use is not an example of animal intelligence.
B. Sophisticated behavior has been observed in close relatives of the raven.
C. Tool use demonstrates a stimulus-response mechanism.
D. Crows call to each other to signal the availability of food.
E. Tool use, while observed in crows and jays, as never been observed in ravens.
4. Which of the following statements about the evidence of intelligence in raven behavior is best supported by the information presented in the passage?A. Raven intelligence is no longer a subject of debate.
B. Raven feeding behavior provides evidence of intelligence on par with human beings.
C. Field observations are important in the field of animal cognition.
D. Tool use by birds is an unambiguous example of intelligent behavior.
E. Ravens only call each other to a kill site when food resources are plentiful.