Community Magazine March 2019

adar I - adar II 5779 march 2019 87 The Intelligence of the Raven Efraim Harari Connection skylight of the tevah and sent out the raven, one of the most intelligent birds, to see what was happening in the world. As the Torah tells us, And he [Noach] sent forth a raven, which went to and fro, until the waters were dried up from the earth ( Bereishit 8:7). However, the raven did not carry out its mission. It stubbornly refused to leave the vicinity of the tevah , instead simply circling around it. Seven days later, Noach sent out the dove instead, and the dove did exactly as Noach wanted. Clearly the raven is not a creature that can be trusted to stay faithful to a mission. Ravens are just about equally as intelligent as crows. They are known for their abilities to understand cause and effect and to solve complicated problems. In one experiment set up by scientists, ravens had to get a hanging piece of food by pulling up a bit of the string, anchoring it with their claws, and repeating until the food was in reach. Most of the ravens got the food on the first try. In captivity, ravens can learn to talk better than some parrots. They also mimic other noises, like car engines, phone rings, and the calls of other animals. For example, ravens have been known to mimic wolves to attract them to carcasses that the ravens aren’t capable of breaking open by themselves. When the wolf is done eating, the ravens grab the leftovers. Ravens also have a very sophisticated way of communicating with other ravens without vocal signals. Studies have shown that ravens point with their beaks to indicate an object to another bird, just as we do with our fingers. They also hold up an object to get another bird’s attention. Other than primates, no other animal has been observed communicating by using gestures. Now in Stores! A Brand-New Book by The Jewish World of Wonders Fascinating Questions & Answers on the Mysteries of the Animal Kingdom Now available in Judaica stores and online at: www.israelbookshoppublications.com and Amazon. Raven TO GET A TREAT suspended on a string tied to the perch, a raven has to follow a precise sequence of steps – reach down and grasp the string, pull up on it, put the pulled-up string on the perch, step on it with enough pressure to hold it there, let go of the string, and repeat the process. Some mature ravens studied the situation for several minutes and then performed the entire procedure on their first try – a sign they used logic.