Top 14+ Wild Creatures That Use Tools to Hunt or Play

14. Chimpanzees The Master Tool Users

Chimpanzees represent perhaps the most sophisticated non-human tool users on our planet. In the forests of West Africa, chimps carefully select branches, strip them of leaves, and shape them into spears for hunting bushbabies hiding in tree hollows. Different chimpanzee communities have developed unique tool traditions that are passed down through generations—a primitive form of culture. Some groups use stone hammers and anvils to crack nuts, while others fashion leaf sponges to collect drinking water from tree hollows. Particularly impressive is their ability to combine tools, such as using both stones and wooden wedges to extract honey from beehives. Researchers have documented over 20 different types of tools used by chimps in the wild, demonstrating their exceptional problem-solving abilities and cultural transmission of knowledge.

13. Sea Otters Nature's Marine Mechanics

Floating on their backs in the kelp forests of the Pacific Ocean, sea otters demonstrate remarkable dexterity with their favorite tools. These marine mammals regularly use rocks as anvils to crack open shellfish, including clams, mussels, and sea urchins. What makes their tool use particularly fascinating is that individual otters often have preferred stones they carry in special pouches of loose skin under their forelimbs, sometimes keeping the same tool for years. This represents one of the rare examples of tool ownership in the animal kingdom. Studies have shown that mother otters actively teach their pups how to use rocks properly, indicating a form of cultural transmission. The different techniques used by otters in various regions suggest local traditions of tool use that vary between communities—another hallmark of cultural behavior.

12. Corvids The Brilliant Bird Tool-Crafters

The corvid family—including crows, ravens, and jays—exhibits some of the most sophisticated tool use among birds. New Caledonian crows are particularly renowned for their ability to craft and use tools. These birds manufacture hooked tools from twigs and serrated tools from pandanus leaves to extract insects from crevices. In laboratory settings, they've demonstrated astonishing problem-solving abilities, including using multiple tools in sequence to obtain food. When faced with a challenge requiring a tool they don't have, they can fashion one from available materials. American crows have been observed dropping nuts onto busy roads, letting cars crush the shells, and then retrieving the meat during red lights—a brilliant adaptation to urban environments. Researchers believe corvids' cognitive abilities may rival those of great apes, despite having brains many times smaller.

11. Bottlenose Dolphins: Sponge-Wielding Hunters

In Shark Bay, Australia, a remarkable cultural behavior has evolved among a group of bottlenose dolphins. These dolphins have developed a hunting technique called "sponging," where they break off marine sponges from the seafloor and wear them on their beaks like protective gloves. This innovation allows them to probe the sandy bottom for fish while protecting their sensitive rostrums from sharp rocks and stinging creatures. What makes this behavior particularly notable is that it appears to be culturally transmitted, primarily from mother to daughter, creating a unique dolphin subculture within the larger population. Genetic studies have revealed that this behavior isn't simply inherited but genuinely learned through observation. Researchers estimate that sponging behavior first emerged around 180 years ago and has since spread through cultural transmission rather than genetic inheritance, demonstrating a sophisticated form of animal culture.

10. Octopuses Eight-Armed Tool Manipulators

Octopuses demonstrate remarkable intelligence and adaptability in their use of tools, despite being invertebrates with a nervous system radically different from vertebrates. Veined octopuses in Indonesia have been observed collecting coconut shells, carrying them across the ocean floor, and then assembling them into protective shelters—a behavior that requires planning for future use. Other octopus species stack rocks to fortify the entrances of their dens against predators or use jellyfish tentacles as weapons. In laboratory settings, octopuses have solved complex puzzles, opened childproof medicine bottles, and even learned to unscrew jar lids to access food. Their distributed nervous system—with approximately two-thirds of their neurons located in their arms—gives them a unique form of intelligence, allowing each arm to partially "think" for itself while coordinating with the central brain. This cognitive flexibility, combined with their manipulative capabilities, makes octopuses among the most sophisticated tool users in the invertebrate world.

9. Egyptian Vultures Stone-Wielding Egg Breakers

Egyptian vultures demonstrate a specialized form of tool use that helps them access a nutritious but otherwise inaccessible food source. These birds use stones as hammers to break open ostrich eggs, which are protected by shells too thick for the vultures to crack with their beaks alone. The vultures carefully select appropriately sized stones and throw them with precision at the eggs until the shell cracks. Young vultures develop this skill through observation and practice, suggesting a cultural component to the behavior. What's particularly interesting is that this technique appears to be consistent across different populations of Egyptian vultures throughout their range in southern Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia. Studies have shown that juvenile vultures that don't have the opportunity to observe adults using this technique take significantly longer to develop the skill, if they develop it at all, highlighting the importance of social learning in the transmission of this tool-using behavior.

8. Elephants The Thoughtful Tool Users

Elephants, with their remarkable cognitive abilities and dexterous trunks, have been observed using a variety of tools in both wild and captive settings. In the forests and savannas of Africa and Asia, elephants use branches to swat at flies and scratch hard-to-reach places on their bodies. They've been documented modifying branches by removing leaves and shortening them to create more effective scratching tools. Asian elephants have been observed placing objects under their feet to stand on, effectively creating platforms to reach higher food sources. Perhaps most impressively, elephants in Myanmar have been known to modify tree branches into fly swatters of specific lengths depending on the task at hand. In captivity, elephants have demonstrated even more sophisticated tool use, including using branches to disable electric fences and moving boxes to create makeshift ladders. Their ability to solve problems using tools reflects their advanced cognitive capabilities, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness.

7. Archerfish The Aquatic Sharpshooters

Archerfish have evolved one of the most remarkable examples of tool use among fish species. Native to brackish waters of Southeast Asia and Australia, these fish "shoot down" terrestrial insects by firing precisely aimed jets of water from their specialized mouths. What makes this behavior qualify as tool use is that the archerfish is manipulating water as a projectile to capture prey that would otherwise be inaccessible. The physics involved are remarkable—archerfish compensate for light refraction at the water-air interface and can hit targets up to 3 meters away with astonishing accuracy. The water jet they produce can reach speeds of up to 6 meters per second. Young archerfish aren't born with this ability but must learn it through observation and practice, typically taking about six months to become proficient hunters. Research has shown that archerfish can recognize specific human faces and remember them for extended periods, suggesting their cognitive abilities extend beyond their impressive tool use.

6. Capuchin Monkeys The Primate Tool Innovators

Capuchin monkeys are among the most prolific tool users in the primate world outside of great apes. In Brazil's Serra da Capivara National Park, wild bearded capuchins select appropriate stones to use as hammers for cracking open palm nuts placed on stone anvils. These monkeys demonstrate remarkable selectivity, choosing stones based on weight and material properties. They've also been observed using sticks as probes to extract insects from tree bark and crevices. What makes capuchin tool use particularly fascinating is the evidence for cultural transmission—different groups have developed distinct tool-using traditions that persist across generations. In coastal regions, some capuchin populations use stones to crack open shellfish during low tide, a behavior passed down through social learning. Researchers have even documented these monkeys using stone tools to dig for underground foods and as throwing weapons for defense, demonstrating a diverse toolkit that rivals some early human technology.

5. Crocodiles The Unexpected Hunters with Tools

Recent research has revealed that crocodiles and alligators—animals traditionally considered primitive in their cognition—engage in sophisticated hunting behaviors that qualify as tool use. During bird nesting seasons, mugger crocodiles in India and American alligators have been observed balancing sticks and branches on their snouts to lure nesting birds. When birds attempt to collect these materials for nest building, the reptiles snap their powerful jaws, capturing the unsuspecting birds. This behavior demonstrates not just opportunistic hunting but an understanding of bird behavior and the ability to use objects as lures. Researchers have noted that this stick-displaying behavior increases significantly during bird nesting seasons and occurs more frequently near rookeries, suggesting these reptiles understand both timing and context for when their tool use will be most effective. This discovery challenges long-held assumptions about reptilian intelligence and suggests that the cognitive capabilities of crocodilians may be far more complex than previously believed.

4. Banded Mongoose Tool-Assisted Egg Eaters

Banded mongooses in Africa have developed a specialized form of tool use to solve a particular dietary challenge. These small carnivores use hard objects like stones and tree roots as anvils to crack open bird eggs and hard-shelled prey items that would otherwise be difficult to access. What makes their technique particularly interesting is that it appears to be culturally transmitted within mongoose groups. Young mongooses learn this skill by observing adults, with researchers noting distinct variations in technique between different family groups. In some regions, mongooses preferentially select certain types of stones for their egg-cracking activities, suggesting a level of discrimination in their tool selection. Studies have revealed that individuals who grow up in groups with skilled tool users are more likely to develop the behavior themselves, while those raised without these models rarely develop the skill. This social learning component provides another fascinating example of cultural transmission of tool use in the animal kingdom.

3. Hunting Wasps Insect Tool Specialists

Several species of hunting wasps demonstrate surprisingly sophisticated tool use despite their tiny brains. The most remarkable example comes from the digging wasps of the genus Ammophila, which use small stones held in their mandibles as hammers to compact soil over their nest entrances. This behavior protects their eggs from parasites and predators. The wasps carefully select appropriately sized stones for this purpose, demonstrating size discrimination and purpose-driven selection. Another fascinating example comes from certain mud-dauber wasps that use mud not only as building material but also as a tool to manipulate and position prey items within their nests. These insects demonstrate that even creatures with nervous systems containing fewer than a million neurons can engage in functional tool use. Their behaviors challenge our understanding of the minimum neural requirements for tool use and suggest that this cognitive ability may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously thought, potentially evolving independently multiple times across diverse lineages.

2. Orangutans The Forest Engineers

Orangutans represent some of the most innovative tool users in the primate world, employing a variety of tools in their daily lives in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra. These great apes fashion stick tools to extract seeds from fruits like the spiny Neesia, using the sticks to pry open the fruit and extract seeds while avoiding painful contact with irritating hairs. In the wild, orangutans have been observed creating protective gloves from leaves to handle spiny fruits and constructing leaf umbrellas to shield themselves from rain or intense sun. Their tool use extends to the realm of sound, with some populations using leaves as rudimentary musical instruments or sound amplifiers, placing leaves against their mouths to alter their calls. Perhaps most impressively, orangutans have been documented using branches as makeshift hooks to retrieve out-of-reach objects and as simple measuring devices to test water depth before crossing streams. These diverse applications of tools highlight the orangutan's exceptional problem-solving abilities and suggest a sophisticated understanding of cause and effect.

1. Boxer Crabs Living Tool Wielders

Among the most unusual tool users in the animal kingdom are boxer crabs (also known as pom-pom crabs), which demonstrate a unique form of tool use involving living organisms. These small crustaceans hold sea anemones in their claws, using them as defensive weapons and hunting tools. The stinging tentacles of the anemones protect the crabs from predators and help them capture prey. What makes this relationship particularly remarkable is that boxer crabs actively maintain and even split their anemones to ensure they have one for each claw. If a crab loses an anemone, it will tear its remaining one in half, allowing each piece to regenerate into a complete anemone. Research has shown that the crabs don't just passively carry these anemones but actively use them as extensions of themselves, waving them to ward off threats and using them to capture food particles. This symbiotic relationship represents a fascinating borderline case of tool use, where the tool itself is a living organism that receives benefits from being used, including access to food particles stirred up by the crab's movements.

Conclusion: The Evolution and Significance of Animal Tool Use

The diverse examples of tool use across the animal kingdom reveal that this cognitive ability has evolved independently multiple times, challenging the notion that tool use represents a uniquely human trait. Instead, we see that tool use emerges wherever the ecological conditions favor it and when species possess the physical and cognitive capabilities to exploit environmental objects. The sophistication of tool use in species like chimpanzees, crows, and octopuses demonstrates that complex problem-solving isn't limited to humans or even to mammals with large brains. The presence of cultural transmission of tool use techniques in many species highlights how social learning can preserve and spread adaptive behaviors within populations. Understanding animal tool use offers valuable insights into the evolution of intelligence and may help us better appreciate how our own technological capabilities evolved from simpler beginnings. As we continue to study these remarkable behaviors, we're likely to discover even more examples of animal ingenuity that further blur the cognitive boundaries between humans and other species.