This cow uses tools like a primate—and scientists are stunned

Science News from research organizations This cow uses tools like a primate—and scientists are stunned Date: March 26, 2026 Source: Cell Press Summary: A cow named Veronika has stunned scientists by using tools in a flexible and purposeful way. She chooses different ends of a brush depending on the part of her body and adjusts her movements accordingly. This level of tool use is incredibly rare and was previously seen mainly in primates. The finding hints that cows may be much smarter than we assume. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY Veronika resting while using a stick. Credit: Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró In 1982, cartoonist Gary Larson introduced a famous Far Side comic called Cow Tools . The illustration showed a cow proudly standing next to a strange collection of useless objects labeled as tools. The humor relied on a widely accepted idea that cows lack the intelligence to create or use tools. That assumption is now being questioned thanks to a real cow named Veronika. A study published in Current Biology reports the first documented case of tool use in a pet cow, suggesting that cattle may be far more cognitively capable than previously believed. "The findings highlight how assumptions about livestock intelligence may reflect gaps in observation rather than genuine cognitive limits," says Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. Meet Veronika, the Tool-Using Cow Veronika is a Swiss Brown cow who lives as a companion animal rather than being raised for food production. She belongs to Witgar Wiegele, an organic farmer and baker who considers her part of the family. More than a decade ago, Wiegele noticed an unusual behavior. Veronika would pick up sticks and use them to scratch her body. This behavior eventually caught scientific attention when it was recorded on video and shared with researchers. "When I saw the footage, it was immediately clear that this was not accidental," Auersperg says. "This was a meaningful example of tool use in a species that is rarely considered from a cognitive perspective." Testing Tool Use in Controlled Experiments To better understand this behavior, researchers conducted structured tests with Veronika. They placed a deck brush on the ground in different positions and observed how she interacted with it. Across multiple trials, Veronika consistently chose specific parts of the brush depending on where she wanted to scratch. Her selections were not random. Instead, they matched the needs of different areas of her body. "We show that a cow can engage in genuinely flexible tool use," says Antonio Osuna-Mascaró. "Veronika is not just using an object to scratch herself. She uses different parts of the same tool for different purposes, and she applies different techniques depending on the function of the tool and the body region." Flexible and Multi-Purpose Tool Use The researchers found clear patterns in how Veronika used the brush. For larger,