托福口语 Task 4

Today, we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'tool use.' Now, tool use is when an animal uses an external object to achieve a goal that it couldn't achieve with its own body alone. But what's really interesting is that tool use isn't just about intelligence—it's often about adaptation to specific environmental challenges. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the sea otter. Sea otters float on their backs and use rocks to crack open hard-shelled clams. They place the rock on their chest and smash the clam against it. This behavior is crucial because their diet relies heavily on these clams, which are too hard to break with their teeth. Second, think about the woodpecker finch from the Galapagos Islands. This bird uses a cactus spine or a small twig to pry insects out of tree bark. The finch holds the spine in its beak and probes into crevices, extracting larvae that it couldn't reach with its beak alone. So in both cases, the animals have developed tool use as a direct response to the challenges of their environment.