How would a quadruped race make and use tools? Centaurs and similar

>>51763389

Prehensile mandibles.

>>51763389
Psychokinesis. And yes, that would make many tools redundant. Try telling them that.

>>51763389
I don't think they would as they lack the fine motor control necessary to do so.

>>51763437
What if it's the variety of psychokinesis the Vegitales have?

>>51763389
Probably like the Elcor in Mass Effect. If they need more than one hand to do something, they just sit down.
If they don't have digits at all, then I don't know, take it to >>>/mlp/

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>>51763389
1) Beaks

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>>51763389
>>51764005
2) Many mammals have functional gripping thumbs already
>Rats
>Racoons
>etc

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>>51763389
>>51764005
>>51764024
3) Some mammals, which have thumbs and gripping hands, can also stand bipedal for long periods of time, and some can even walk bipedal, for short periods of time.

Racoons are a better example since they have thumbs too, but even Bears can do this.

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>>51763389
>>51764005
>>51764024
>>51764041

4) High Intelligence & gripping thumbs aren't mutually inclusive. This is why Mouseguard doesn't exist IRL.

The only animals with tool-using and problem solving intellect that ALSO have gripping thumbs are pretty much just the Ape family.

So:

Either:
>Uplift Racoons, rats, weasels, etc
or
>Put arms on Crows, Dolphins, etc

That's basically it.

They wouldn't, and races people have made where they do are retarded.

Unless there's magic or unnatural scientific crimes against nature involved. Then you can have anything. Bad authors fall under the latter.

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>>51763389
The Liir in Sword of the Stars exclusively use Telekinesis to do everything. They're not Quadrupeds but they have similar problems.

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>>51764423
Are you saying there's something wrong with unnatural scientific crimes against nature?

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Hiver from Traveller are technically quadrupeds.

>>51763389

Mouth or trunk, like an elephant. The Fithp from Larry Niven / Jerry Pournelle's Footfall comes to mind: it was like a miniature elephant with a branching trunk for tool use (not as good as fingers). Niven's Known Space series had Pierson's Puppeteers. Their two heads had highly developed tongues, teeth, and knobbed lips designed for tool use (the brain was in the upper torso). They were actually more dextrous than we were. Such a race would have trouble believing that a modified foot could use tools efficiently at all.

Another possibility is dual-use limbs, where some or all feet can be used temporarily as manipulators. Obviously, this reduces their efficiency at either job.

Maybe they have access to materials that are highly desirable to outsiders yet difficult to acquire, so they commission craftsmen of other races to make specialized tools that rely on pushing/pulling mechanics.

They use telekinesis, obviously.

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>>51764100
>Put arms on Crows
Be careful what you ask for, human.

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>>51763389

They're only quadruped in the morning.

>>51768665
Biped in the afternoon?

>>51769108
And triped at night?

In All Tomorrows, there's a species of aquatic humans that genetically engineers their tools out of other lifeforms.

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>>51763389

/thread.

>>51764541
You are someone who should be reading Twig.

On a related note, another common question relating to OP I've recently come to a bit of a reveletion on is Merfolk and metalurgy.

How the fuck does an underwater race create steel weapons? My answer: They don't. Do some research about tool use among aquatic life: Octopuses wielding Coconuts as shield, or Jellyfish stingers as whips and projectiles. Crabs wearing stinging anemone on their claws like boxing gloves.

Rather than making and using tools out of metal, something that simply wouldn't last particularly long underwater even if a species could produce it, worldbuilders should instead look to the use of natural weapons, specifically the natural weapons used by other native aquatic life, and how a sapient race could use such defense mechanism to their advantage.

>>51764423
What about something like an elephant?

>>51771585
You don't /thread yourself, newfag.

>>51763389
They stand up on their hindpaws or rump when they need to use tools. Many mammals can sit up and use their forepaws for various things. It's not as efficient as bipedal gait, but it can work. Hands that fold into walking feet or walking on the knuckles to protect the fingers for later user are possibilities.

>>51764041
People keep saying "thumbs" but raccoons do not have opposable thumbs. They could evolve them over time, but the handlike appearance of their current forepaws is a bit of an illusion.