One highly likely reason for neuroplasticity is to compensate for damage. However, the adaptation of the cortex in primates to accommodate new “limbs” connected via a brain-computer interface is also very interesting, and leads me to believe that tool-using behaviors require a certain amount of such plasticity. After all, there’s no good evolutionary reason for the cortex to adapt to new limbs after a certain age… animals don’t grow new limbs. I suppose one important question that this raises is: “does the same degree of neuroplasticity occur in animals that are less prone to tool use?” Hominids, anyway, are pretty good at it, and it wouldn’t surprise me if primates are too. A handful of other animals, such as finches, ravens, and dolphins might also qualify. But that leaves a large number of animals who aren’t known to be prone to tool use. Would they exhibit the same response?