- Feb 5, 2002
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Edgar Allan Poe knew what he was doing when he used the raven instead of some other bird to croak “nevermore” in his famous poem. The raven has long been associated with death and dark omens, but the real bird is much more multifaceted. Here are 10 fascinating facts about ravens.
1. RAVENS ARE EXTREMELY SMART.
When it comes to animal intelligence, these birds rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins. In one logic test, a raven had to reach a hanging piece of food by pulling up a bit of the string, anchoring it with its talon, and repeating until the food was in reach. Many ravens got the food on the first try, some within 30 seconds. If a raven knows another raven is watching it hide its food, it will pretend to put the food in one place while really hiding it in another. Since the other ravens are smart too, this only works sometimes. In the wild, ravens have pushed rocks on people to keep them from climbing to their nests, played dead beside a beaver carcass to scare other ravens away from the feast, and stolen Costco customers’ packaged meats right out of their carts.
Continued below.
10 Ravishing Facts About Ravens
1. RAVENS ARE EXTREMELY SMART.
When it comes to animal intelligence, these birds rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins. In one logic test, a raven had to reach a hanging piece of food by pulling up a bit of the string, anchoring it with its talon, and repeating until the food was in reach. Many ravens got the food on the first try, some within 30 seconds. If a raven knows another raven is watching it hide its food, it will pretend to put the food in one place while really hiding it in another. Since the other ravens are smart too, this only works sometimes. In the wild, ravens have pushed rocks on people to keep them from climbing to their nests, played dead beside a beaver carcass to scare other ravens away from the feast, and stolen Costco customers’ packaged meats right out of their carts.
Continued below.
10 Ravishing Facts About Ravens
