Using Bait

Using Bait

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Angler fish do not, but I’m not including the use of body parts as tools.

Herons

The are enough examples of this that there is no doubt in my mind that these are intentional behaviors. However, that still doesn’t answer the question how whether they are the result of instinct or reasoning. And, of course, what does “reasoning” mean for a heron? How different is it than the reasoning we experience?

Black-crowned Night Heron

Green Heron

Mugger crocodile

I’ve only been able to find a photo of this and would like to see a video of it working. This is a mugger crocodile. It’s collected twigs on its nose. This looks like camoflauge. However, researchers noted that it was seen more commonly on crocodiles living near bird nests and only happened during nesting season [Note: the original source from Wired appears to have been deleted]. This indicates that it’s actually bait for nest builders and not camoflauge. It would be interesting to know how “thought out” the process is. As in, do crocodiles “know” that birds make nests from sticks and that they can use sticks as bait? Or, is it just that crocodiles developed an instinct to do this at the right time of year?

Image Credit: Vladimir Dinets