Humans have always assumed that there is a huge gulf between animal behavior and human development. However, recent research into animals shows that animals are continuously designing innovative methods to finish their tasks. Examining the nature and results of their creativity can help us understand evolution.
Research shows that animals too can be creative. By inventing new behavioral patterns and adapting their behavior to new contexts, as well as to changes in social and ecological environments, researchers show that animal innovation too can be diverse. For instance, chimpanzees (猩猩) use tools such as sharp spines and stalks to remove the hearts of palm vegetables from trees. Herring gulls (鲜鱼海码) found out quite a cruel way of killing rabbits - drowning them in the sea.
Innovative species tend to survive when they enter new places, but behavior cannot be recognized unless "normal" behavior is studied. Researchers can now count and document the innovations that have been created by species, which would help them to quantify their creativity. Studies also show us that all animals are not equally inventive, with primates (灵长目动物) tending to be more innovative due to their bigger brains.
The greatest scientific significance has been the innovation shown by animals such as apes, capuchins and macaques among primates. These species of primates possess the biggest brains in proportion to their body sizes. They are also heavy tool users. Their broad diets and complex forms of learning are also insightful. They indicate an evolutionary strategy that gave them new solutions to life's challenges.
However, even if these animals show innovativeness, they do not have the ability to improve upon solutions of others. Unless they share information accurately and copy each other's inventions, their creative inventions are likely to disappeat before they can be innovated further. This ability can be managed only by humans, for we are able to build on shared knowledge.
