the crows seem to be calling my name...

Do crows have minds?

(Let's not unpack all the philosophical baggage such a question comes loaded with, but assume, for a moment, that we can all agree on what a "mind" is; or, to be more precise, does. A "theory of mind" is an essential component--an unthinking automaton, a computer, wouldn't "recognize" other "minds" as similar to or different from its own cognitive processes. Blatant deception arises from this possibility; I can't effectively trick you without knowing how you think.)

Thomas Bugnyar and Bernd Heinrich say, tentatively, "Yes."

But then something unexpected happened. Hugin, the subordinate, tried a new strategy. As soon as Munin bullied him, he headed over to a set of empty containers, prised the lids off them enthusiastically, and pretended to eat. Munin followed, whereupon Hugin returned to the loaded containers and ate his fill.

At first Dr Bugnyar could not believe what he was seeing. He was anxious about sharing his observation, for fear that no one would believe him. But Hugin, he is convinced, was clearly misleading Munin.

As it happened, Munin was no dummy either. He soon grew wise to the tactic, and would not be led astray. He even stooped to trying to find the food rewards on his own! This made Hugin furious. “He got very angry”, says Dr Bugnyar, “and started throwing things around.” Perhaps ravens have something else in common with people—a hatred of being found out.

It's a credit to humans' basic anthropocentrism that this--the idea that other animals might be as wily, deceptive, and crafty as we are--comes as a surprise.

Oh, and anyone who gets the title: I salute you, SNL nerd.

[thanks to arts and letters daily]