Diver Snaps First Photo of Fish Using Tools

Posted by timothy on Sunday July 10, 2011 @03:02AM from the wake-me-when-they-enter-asynchronous-trade dept.

sciencehabit writes with this excerpt from Science: "While exploring Australia's Great Barrier Reef, professional diver Scott Gardner heard an odd cracking sound and swam over to investigate. What he found was a footlong blackspot tuskfish holding a clam in its mouth and whacking it against a rock. Soon the shell gave way, and the fish gobbled up the bivalve, spat out the shell fragments, and swam off. Fortunately, Gardner had a camera handy and snapped what seem to be the first photographs of a wild fish using a tool." (Not everyone agrees that this constitutes tool use, says the article, in part because the "tool" isn't something that the fish can actually manipulate.)

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Re:I don't get it... by Dyinobal · 2011-07-10 04:09 · Score: 1, Informative

He's still using the rock as a tool either way. By either banging the clam on it, or by banging the clam with the rock. If you want to argue over such a minor detail you're welcome to but I'm not about to.
Re:Um by pjt33 · 2011-07-10 08:05 · Score: 3, Informative

First photo evidence of tool-using fish