7 months ago
Cow Veronika Uses Tools to Scratch, Stuns Scientists
There is a cow named Veronika who lives on a farm in Austria.
For almost ten years, she has been using sticks and brushes to scratch herself.
Scientists were very surprised because cows are not known for using tools like this.
They studied Veronika and found that she uses different parts of the brush for different parts of her body.
This shows that cows might be smarter than people thought.
The scientists hope that more people will study farm animals to learn more about them.
Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow, uses sticks and brushes to scratch herself.
Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna documented her tool use, marking the first known case in a pet cow.
Veronika intentionally uses different parts of the brush for different body parts, showing decision-making abilities.
Scientists were surprised by her behavior, as tool use in cows is rarely observed.
The study suggests that cattle may have more advanced cognitive abilities than previously believed.
- Who
- Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow
- What
- Using tools to scratch herself
- Where
- Notsch im Gailtal, Austria
- When
- Observed for nearly a decade, recently studied by researchers
- Why
- To scratch hard-to-reach parts of her body
Key facts
- Cow's Name
- Veronika
- Cow's Breed
- Swiss Brown
- Location
- Notsch im Gailtal, Austria
- Researchers
- University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
- Journal
- Current Biology
- Tool Used
- Sticks and a deck brush
- Observation Duration
- Nearly a decade
Quotes
Study
Published in the journal Current Biology
“Importantly, the differential use of both broom ends constitutes the use of a multipurpose tool, exploiting distinct properties of a single object for different functions. Comparable behavior has only been consistently documented in chimpanzees.”
indianexpress.com
“Although flexible tool use has been reported in terrestrial ungulates [ungulates are hoofed mammals] (including a recent, well-documented case in Asian elephants) prior to our study it had not been experimentally verified in cattle.”
indianexpress.com
Alice Auersperg and Antonio Osuna-Mascaro
Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna
“We recorded 76 instances of self-directed tool use over seven sessions of 10 trials…Veronika’s behavior… showed versatility, anticipation, and fine motor targeting.”
indianexpress.com
Anindya Sinha
Primatologist at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bengaluru
“The case of Veronika is that of one individual. This is not a systematic study of a large number of animals over a long period of time. There are two possibilities here. One is that this is a case of associative learning, where through trial and error, the cow has learnt that the broom can be used to scratch herself. The second, more intriguing possibility, is that Veronika has discovered that a tool can be manipulated in different ways for different goals. If that is true, it talks of a cow displaying insight, which would be much more remarkable.”
indianexpress.com
