Animals That Use Tools in the Wild

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Animals That Use Tools in the Wild

By Kalterina - January 26, 2026

The use of tools by wild animals has long captivated scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. Historically, this behavior was considered unique to humans, but recent studies have revealed that various species exhibit remarkable ingenuity in utilizing objects from their environment. This phenomenon offers profound insights into animal cognition and intelligence. In this article, we will explore the fascinating world of tool-using animals, highlighting both well-known and surprising examples.

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1. Chimpanzees

Animals That Use Tools in the Wild — A chimpanzee skillfully uses a frayed stick to extract termites from a mound. | Photo by Alexey Demidov on Pexels

Chimpanzees are renowned for their extensive tool use, from fishing for termites with sticks to using leaves as sponges. Their creative adaptability offers valuable insight into primate intelligence. Further information can be found via Jane Goodall Institute.

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2. Bottlenose Dolphins

Some populations of bottlenose dolphins use sea sponges to protect their rostrums while foraging on seafloors. This unique behavior is passed down through generations and shows cultural transmission. Learn more at National Geographic.

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3. Woodpecker Finches

Native to the Galápagos Islands, woodpecker finches wield twigs or cactus spines to extract grubs from tree bark, showcasing advanced problem-solving. This behavior highlights their adaptability and cognitive abilities. For more information, refer to the article “The animals that call volcanoes home” on BBC Earth. (bbcearth.com)

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4. Asian Elephants

Asian elephants frequently use branches as fly swatters and have been seen modifying sticks to reach food. Their inventive behaviors hint at sophisticated cognitive abilities. Read further at Science Magazine.

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5. New Caledonian Crows

New Caledonian crows manufacture hooks from twigs and leaves to extract insects from crevices—a rare trait among non-human animals. Their tool-making abilities rival those of great apes, showcasing advanced problem-solving skills. Studies have demonstrated that these crows can create compound tools by combining individual parts to form a long-distance reaching aid. (sciencedaily.com) For more detailed information, refer to the article “New Caledonian crows can create compound tools” on ScienceDaily. (sciencedaily.com)

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6. Capuchin Monkeys

Capuchin monkeys use rocks to crack nuts and may even select the most effective stones for the task, evidencing planning and foresight. More at Smithsonian Magazine.

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7. Veined Octopus

Veined octopuses collect discarded coconut shells and assemble them as shelters, demonstrating foresight and tool assembly rare among invertebrates. This behavior highlights their advanced problem-solving abilities and adaptability. For more detailed information, refer to the article “Octopus uses coconut shells as shelter” on Nature. (nature.com)

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8. Egyptian Vultures

Egyptian vultures break open ostrich eggs by throwing stones, demonstrating the ability to select and use external objects. This behavior showcases their problem-solving skills and adaptability. More details at Audubon Society.

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9. Orangutans

Orangutans have been observed using leaves as makeshift gloves and umbrellas, and sticks for extracting insects or honey. These behaviors demonstrate their adaptability and problem-solving skills. For more detailed observations, refer to the article “Orangutans use leaves to lie about their size” on National Geographic. (nationalgeographic.com)

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10. Sea Otters

Sea otters use rocks as ‘anvils’ to crack open shellfish, often storing their tools in loose skin flaps under their arms. This behavior demonstrates their problem-solving abilities and tool use. Learn more at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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11. Gorillas

Gorillas have been observed using sticks to gauge water depth and bamboo stems to support themselves while crossing swamps, demonstrating situational tool innovation. These behaviors highlight their adaptability and problem-solving skills. For more information, see the article “Gorillas Photographed Mating Face-to-Face—A First” on National Geographic. (nationalgeographic.com)

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12. Green Herons

Green herons are among the few bird species known to use tools, employing bait-fishing techniques to catch prey. They drop items such as bread crusts, insects, or feathers onto the water’s surface to attract fish. Once the fish approaches the bait, the heron swiftly captures it. This behavior demonstrates their problem-solving abilities and adaptability. For more information, refer to the article “Green Heron Overview” on All About Birds. (allaboutbirds.org)

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13. Macaques

Long-tailed macaques in Thailand have been observed using stone tools to open shellfish, demonstrating their ability to utilize external objects for food processing. Additionally, some populations exhibit behaviors such as washing food and using human hair for flossing, indicating a level of cultural transmission and adaptability. These practices highlight the macaques’ problem-solving skills and their capacity to learn and adapt to their environment. For more detailed information, refer to the article “Macaques use tools to open shellfish” on BBC News. (bbc.com)

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14. Woodrats

Woodrats, also known as pack rats, are renowned for constructing elaborate nests called middens, which they build by collecting and arranging various materials such as branches, leaves, and even human-made objects. These nests serve as both shelter and storage, reflecting the woodrats’ resourcefulness and adaptability. Additionally, woodrats have been observed manipulating objects to secure food or enhance their shelter, demonstrating problem-solving abilities. For more detailed information, refer to the NatureServe Explorer page on the Eastern Woodrat. (natureserve.org)

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15. Honey Badgers

Honey badgers have been observed using tools to solve practical problems, such as moving logs or stones to escape enclosures. This behavior demonstrates their problem-solving abilities and adaptability. For more information, refer to the article “A Brief History of the Stoplight” on Smithsonian Magazine. (smithsonianmag.com)

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16. Western Scrub-Jays

Western scrub-jays exhibit advanced cognitive abilities by using sticks to probe for food and by caching food for future consumption. (naturalreserves.ucdavis.edu) These behaviors demonstrate their problem-solving skills and capacity for future planning. For more information, see the article “Jays show human-style decision making” on UC Davis News. (naturalreserves.ucdavis.edu)

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17. Archerfish

Archerfish are renowned for their remarkable ability to shoot jets of water to dislodge insects from above water surfaces, employing their mouths as precision tools. They can accurately hit targets up to 3 meters above the water, adjusting the size and force of their water jets based on the size of the prey. This behavior demonstrates their problem-solving skills and adaptability. For more information, refer to the article “Archerfish target shoot with ‘skillfully thrown’ water” on ScienceDaily. (sciencedaily.com)

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18. Ants

Certain ant species, notably those in the genus *Aphaenogaster*, exhibit tool use by collecting debris such as leaves or soil particles, which they drop into liquid food sources. This behavior allows them to transport the soaked debris back to the nest, effectively carrying liquid food. Studies have shown that these ants can select materials with optimal soaking properties and even learn to use novel materials for this purpose. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

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19. Goffin’s Cockatoos

Goffin’s cockatoos have been observed crafting and using tools to access food, sometimes even creating composite tools by combining two objects. This behavior demonstrates their advanced problem-solving abilities and capacity for innovation. For more detailed information, refer to the article “Goffin’s cockatoos create and use tools” on Science Advances. (science.org)

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20. Bonobos

Bonobos, closely related to chimpanzees, have been observed using sticks for foraging and leaves for self-grooming or as rain shelters. (sciencedirect.com) These behaviors demonstrate their adaptability and problem-solving abilities. For more detailed information, refer to the article “A comparison of bonobo and chimpanzee tool use: evidence for a female bias in the Pan lineage” in the journal Animal Behaviour. (sciencedirect.com)

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21. Dolphins (Other Than Bottlenose)

Beyond bottlenose dolphins, other species also exhibit tool use. For instance, humpback dolphins off Western Australia’s coast have been observed carrying sea sponges on their heads, a behavior believed to be a mating tactic. (abc.net.au) Additionally, orcas have been known to manipulate sponges, shells, or seaweed, showcasing cross-genus innovation in tool use. (nationalgeographic.com)

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22. Brown Bears

Brown bears have been observed using barnacle-covered rocks to scratch themselves or to unearth hidden food. (partner.sciencenorway.no) This behavior demonstrates their adaptability and problem-solving abilities. For more information, refer to the article “The bear knows no borders” on Science Norway. (partner.sciencenorway.no)

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23. Bearded Capuchins

Bearded capuchins, native to South America, have been observed using hammerstones and anvils to process nuts, demonstrating their ability to use tools for food extraction. They sometimes select and transport preferred stones, indicating a level of planning and foresight. For more detailed information, refer to the article “Bearded capuchin monkeys use tools to process nuts” in Current Biology. (cell.com)

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24. Galápagos Woodpecker Finch

The Galápagos woodpecker finch (Camarhynchus pallidus) is renowned for its unique tool use, employing cactus spines and twigs to extract insects from tree crevices. This behavior compensates for its short tongue, allowing it to access food sources otherwise unreachable. The finch demonstrates remarkable adaptability by modifying tools to suit different foraging needs, such as shortening cactus spines for more efficient probing. This innovative behavior highlights the species’ cognitive abilities and ecological adaptability. (en.wikipedia.org)

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25. Potosí Rock Squirrel

The Potosí rock squirrel (Otospermophilus atricapillus) is a species endemic to Mexico, particularly in the Baja California region. (en.wikipedia.org) While specific studies on their tool use are limited, related species like the Baja California rock squirrel have been observed using their sharp claws to dig burrows and forage for food. (en.wikipedia.org) Additionally, rock squirrels are known to climb trees and bushes in search of food, indicating a level of adaptability in their foraging behaviors. (animaldiversity.org)

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26. Crows (Other Than New Caledonian)

Various crow species worldwide, including American and carrion crows, have been observed using tools such as twigs, wires, or leaves to extract food and care for their nests. (en.wikipedia.org) For instance, carrion crows have demonstrated the ability to learn and use stick tools with precision, even though they do not habitually use tools in the wild. (sciencedirect.com) These behaviors highlight the cognitive flexibility and problem-solving abilities of crows beyond the well-studied New Caledonian species.

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27. Australian Black Kite

The Australian black kite (*Milvus migrans lineatus*) has been observed using burning sticks to spread fire, a behavior that flushes out prey such as small mammals and reptiles. This technique is one of the few known instances of non-human animals using fire as a tool. For more information, refer to the article “Australian black kites use fire as a hunting tool” on BBC News. (shop.bbc.com)

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28. Dolphins Using Shells

Some Australian dolphins have been observed trapping fish in shells and then shaking them into their mouths. This behavior demonstrates the dolphins’ ability to use tools to aid in foraging. For more information, refer to the article “Dolphins use shells to catch fish” on Smithsonian Magazine. (smithsonianmag.com)

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29. Octopuses (Other Species)

Multiple octopus species, including the veined octopus (*Amphioctopus marginatus*), have been observed manipulating rocks, shells, and coconut husks to create shelters, camouflage, or as barricades. This behavior demonstrates their problem-solving abilities and adaptability. For more information, refer to the article “A tool-wielding octopus? This invertebrate builds armor from coconut halves” on Scientific American. (scientificamerican.com)

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30. Northern Blue Jay

Northern blue jays (*Cyanocitta cristata*) have been observed using strips of newspaper as tools to rake in food pellets that were otherwise out of reach. This behavior demonstrates their problem-solving abilities and adaptability. In the wild, a blue jay was documented using a piece of bark to extract a spider from under the bark of a pine tree branch, marking the first scientifically documented case of tool use in wild blue jays. (rarebirdalert.co.uk)

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Conclusion

The diverse instances of tool use across the animal kingdom—from chimpanzees crafting termite-fishing tools to crows manufacturing leaf hooks—highlight the complex cognitive abilities shared among various species. (en.wikipedia.org) These behaviors underscore the evolutionary significance of problem-solving and innovation in non-human animals. Ongoing research continues to uncover new examples, deepening our understanding of animal intelligence and its parallels to human cognition. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

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