What cognitive trait's foundations were likely established in *Pica praepica* 19 million years ago?
Answer
Cunning, including recognizing faces or using tools
The endurance of the *Pica* lineage, surviving 19 million years of environmental fluctuations, suggests that the groundwork for their celebrated cunning was established very early on. The complex problem-solving capabilities required for survival during that time frame imply that the foundations for behaviors like recognizing faces or utilizing tools—traits associated with high intelligence in modern magpies—were already being selectively favored in ancestors like *Pica praepica* during the Miocene epoch.
Related Questions
What species is the oldest known fossil belonging to the magpie family Corvidae?Where were fossils of *Archaeocorvus meadewaldenis* (AMRI) unearthed?How old are the fossils identified as *Pica praepica* from New Zealand?To which geological epoch does the 25-million-year-old *Archaeocorvus meadewaldenis* date?What is the genus classification for modern magpies like the Eurasian Magpie?What is the approximate age difference between the earliest *family* and *genus* ancestors?Which region yielded fossils clearly identifying the direct ancestral line of the *Pica* genus?What enduring characteristic allowed the lineage of modern magpies to persist across vast timescales?What cognitive trait's foundations were likely established in *Pica praepica* 19 million years ago?What specific field mark helps differentiate modern North American *Pica* species like Black-billed and Yellow-billed?