Animals that use tools
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Animals That Use Tools — Daily trivia Monday, October 12, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Captive rooks dropped stones into water to raise a floating worm, acting out which fable?
- AThe Fox and the Grapes
- BThe Tortoise and the Hare
- CThe Crow and the Pitcher
- DThe Boy Who Cried Wolf
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The Crow and the Pitcher
The Crow and the Pitcher. Wild rooks aren't known to use tools, yet three of the four captive birds soon learned to pick big stones over small ones.
Q 02Which animal floats on its back and cracks open shellfish against a rock on its chest?
- ASea otter
- BHarbor seal
- CBeaver
- DWalrus
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Sea otter
The sea otter. It also stashes its catch in a loose pocket of skin under its forearm, so it can bring up several items from one dive.
Q 03Which scientist watched wild chimpanzees strip leaves off twigs to fish for termites?
- ADian Fossey
- BJane Goodall
- CBirutė Galdikas
- DMary Leakey
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Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall. Louis Leakey responded that science must now redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as human.
Q 04Distressed wild orangutans squeak through leaves held to their lips. How does that make them sound?
- ABigger
- BFarther away
- CYounger
- DLike another species
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Bigger
Bigger. The leaves lower the squeak's pitch, and larger orangutans squeak deeper, so the trick may pass a caller off as a bigger ape.
Q 05At a Congo swamp, a wild gorilla grabbed a branch. What did she use it for?
- AReaching high leaves
- BDigging up roots
- CScaring off a crocodile
- DTesting the water's depth
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Testing the water's depth
Testing the water's depth as she tried to wade across a pool, in what researchers believe was the first tool use seen in wild gorillas. Another female used a shrub's trunk as a bridge.
Q 06Some dolphins in Western Australia forage along the seafloor wearing what over their beaks?
- ASeaweed
- BClam shells
- CSea sponges
- DCoral
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Sea sponges
Sea sponges, which may protect their beaks as they forage. The habit passes mostly from mothers to daughters, and spongers seem to descend from one female line.
Q 07An octopus that stacks coconut halves was hailed as a true tool user. Why?
- AIt cracks crabs with them
- BIt keeps them for later
- CIt signals mates with them
- DIt copies other octopuses
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It keeps them for later
It keeps them for later, walking off with the stacked halves, then reassembling them into a shelter to crawl inside.
Q 08Which animals do some chimpanzees in Senegal hunt by jabbing sharpened sticks into tree holes?
- ABats
- BLizards
- CSnakes
- DBushbabies
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Bushbabies
Bushbabies. Adult males lead most chimp hunts, but here females do most of the spear hunting.
Q 09In northern Australia, which birds are reported to spread fires by carrying burning twigs?
- AKookaburras
- BKites
- CCockatoos
- DEmus
Show answer
Kites
Kites, known in some circles as 'firehawks'. They're drawn to smoke and fire, where they snatch animals fleeing the flames.
Q 10Which live animals does the boxer crab hold in its claws like pom-poms, to fend off attackers?
- AJellyfish
- BSea urchins
- CSea anemones
- DStarfish
Show answer
Sea anemones
Sea anemones. In lab tests, when one was taken away, the crab tore the other in two, and each half grew back into a whole anemone.
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