Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
An Austrian pet is the first tool-using cow known to science. Veronika started picking up sticks in her paddock and using them to scratch herself when she was just 3 years old, and she has only gotten better at it since. Researchers were particularly impressed by her ability to choose which end of a broom or rake would give the most satisfying scritch, suggesting she has a sensitivity to the different properties of these tools and can anticipate which to use.
Read more: iflscience.com/we-didnt-even-think-about-looking-broom-wielding-veronika-shows-tool-use-in-cows-isnt-so-absurd-after-all-82260
Credit: J. Osuna- Mascaró & A.M.I. Auersperg
An Austrian pet is the first tool-using cow known to science. Veronika started picking up sticks in her paddock and using them to scratch herself when she was just 3 years old, and she has only gotten better at it since. Researchers were particularly impressed by her ability to choose which end of a broom or rake would give the most satisfying scritch, suggesting she has a sensitivity to the different properties of these tools and can anticipate which to use.
Read more: iflscience.com/we-didnt-even-think-about-looking-broom-wielding-veronika-shows-tool-use-in-cows-isnt-so-absurd-after-all-82260
Credit: J. Osuna- Mascaró & A.M.I. Auersperg
