Ravens Can Plan for the Future

For a long time, the ability to plan for a future need was considered a hallmark of human and great ape intelligence. However, groundbreaking research has revealed that ravens, a member of the corvid family, also possess this remarkable cognitive skill. This discovery challenges our understanding of the evolution of complex cognition, suggesting that advanced planning abilities may have evolved independently in different species. The last common ancestor of birds and mammals lived over 300 million years ago, indicating that these similar cognitive skills emerged on separate evolutionary paths.

In a series of ingenious experiments published in the journal *Science*, researchers demonstrated ravens' foresight. The birds were trained to use a specific tool to open a puzzle box to get a reward. Later, they were presented with a choice of objects, including the correct tool, but the puzzle box was absent. The ravens consistently selected the functional tool and saved it, successfully using it to open the box when it was presented again up to 17 hours later. This was not just a matter of instinct, as tool use is not a typical behavior for ravens in the wild.

Further studies showcased their capacity for self-control and bartering. Ravens were able to choose a token that they could later exchange for a preferred food item, even when a less desirable, immediate treat was available. In some of these bartering and tool-use tasks, the ravens' performance was on par with or even exceeded that of great apes. This sophisticated level of future planning and impulse control demonstrates a complex mental life that scientists are only just beginning to fully appreciate.