Animal Use of Technology

As humans, we tend to think of ourselves as being superior to other animals. But we’re certainly not the only creatures to use technology, at least if you count the construction of dwellings and the use of tools.

Think of the dwellings of ants, termites and bees. Their intricate nests often provide near-perfect temperature control, ventilation and shelter from the elements. “But they’re built by instinct,” you say. Yes, but couldn’t the human propensity for technology also spring from an innate instinct for construction? And is the Cathedral of Notre Dame really that much more complex than an African termite mound, with its myriad galleries and precisely-functioning ventilation shafts?

And although they live together in close quarters, these insects still effectively manage their output of waste without causing environmental damage.

Chimpanzees are known to use sticks as tools to catch termites for food. Gorillas build nests in which to sleep, although they’re simple in comparison to the mud nests created by swallows, for example, which have much in common with human-built adobe structures. And crows construct a variety of tools. In fact, the New Caledonian crow is known to construct hooks from twigs, and harpoon-like tools from Pandanus leaves, both of which are used in hunting small prey, such as insect larvae.

And of course beavers, through their construction of dams, are capable of massively altering the courses of streams, and correspondingly, the ecosystems that surround them. They also build “lodges” and even “canals” in which they transport lumber. In fact, some ecologists actually call beavers “ecosystem engineers."

But the point here is that the use of “technology” by animals is of course highly limited and is never really harmful to the environment, unlike much human technology. Insects such as ants and termites (who, despite their tiny size, constitute a larger biomass than all the humans on Earth) have been laboring sustainably for millions of years. So perhaps we humans should learn from the other animals, who existed on the planet for eons before we even came onto the scene. At least they didn’t render the place uninhabitable before we arrived.

(CONTINUE READING)