Researchers report the first verified case of tool use in cattle after observing a cow named Veronika repeatedly selecting and manipulating a stick or broom handle to scratch hard-to-reach parts of her body in southern Austria. The behavior was documented in a study published in Current Biology and surprised scientists because tool use is rarely recorded in domesticated ungulates. The finding adds evidence that cows can flexibly solve practical problems and may have richer cognitive abilities than their reputation suggests.
Highlights:
Researchers report the first verified case of tool use in cattle after observing a cow named Veronika repeatedly selecting and manipulating a stick or broom handle to scratch hard-to-reach parts of her body in southern Austria. The behavior was documented in a study published in Current Biology and surprised scientists because tool use is rarely recorded in domesticated ungulates. The finding adds evidence that cows can flexibly solve practical problems and may have richer cognitive abilities than their reputation suggests.
Highlights:
- No training: Reports emphasize that Veronika’s scratching technique appeared spontaneous rather than taught, with observers describing her as choosing and adjusting an available object to meet a grooming need.
- Multi-purpose use: Coverage describes her using the same object in more than one way—repositioning it to reach different body regions—highlighting flexible, goal-directed control rather than a single stereotyped motion.
- Why surprise: One explanation offered for the public astonishment is human bias: commentators argue people underestimate familiar farm animals and reserve “smart” labels for species with more celebrated tool traditions.
- Pop-culture echo: Several outlets link the discovery to Gary Larson’s ‘The Far Side’ ‘Cow tools’ cartoon—once so confusing it prompted Larson to publicly explain the joke—now used as a cultural reference point for the study.
- Welfare angle: By spotlighting a cow’s self-directed problem-solving to relieve irritation (including from flies), the coverage suggests practical interest for enrichment and husbandry that better matches cattle behavior and needs.
Perspectives:
- Study authors (Current Biology): They frame Veronika’s behavior as genuine tool use because she selected, adjusted, and deployed an external object with control to achieve a clear goal (self-scratching). (Futurism)
- BBC science coverage: The report stresses the finding’s implication that cows may have greater cognitive abilities than commonly assumed, based on the rarity of documented bovine tool use. (BBC News)
- Science writer commentary: A columnist argues the bigger lesson is about human exceptionalism—people act surprised because they overlook everyday animal intelligence, including in cattle. (The Guardian)
- Explainer outlets: Some explainers focus on how scientists tested and interpreted the behavior, treating it as a data point in broader debates about what counts as tool use and how to measure animal cognition. (Discover Magazine)
Sources:
- Scientists Suddenly Discover That Cow Tools Are Real - futurism.com
- So a cow can use a stick to scratch its backside. When will we learn that humans are really not that special? | Helen Pilcher - theguardian.com
- Cow astonishes scientists with rare use of tools - bbc.com
- This Cow’s Multi-Purpose Tool Use Challenges Assumptions About Animal Intelligence - discovermagazine.com
- Clever Cow Documented Using Tools in an Astonishing Scientific First - sciencealert.com
- Veronika the cow astounds science with first consistent case of tool use - elpais.com
- ‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool - wired.com