Veronkia is world's first documented tool-using cow (with pics)

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A clever cow called Veronika is the first ever to be recorded using tools—a brush or stick to scratch her back.

The old Swiss Brown cow has astonished scientists in Austria with her broom, which she uses as a multi-purpose tool, an “extraordinarily” rare ability that outside of humans has only previously been documented convincingly in chimpanzees.

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In a series of controlled trials, they presented a deck brush on the ground in a random orientation.

The researchers recorded which end Veronika selected and which body region she targeted. Across repeated sessions, they found that her choices were “consistent and functionally appropriate” for the body regions she targeted.

 

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The researchers found that Veronika usually prefers the bristled end of a deck brush when scratching broad, firm areas such as her back. But when targeting softer and more sensitive regions of her lower body, she switches to the smooth stick end.

Further still, Veronika also adjusts how she handles the tool, and will change her method of use, not just the end of the brush, depending on her aim. Upper-body scratching involves wide, forceful movements, while her lower-body scratching is slower, more careful, and highly controlled, with occasionally precise whacks

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The researchers note that Veronika’s life circumstances may have played an important role in the emergence of her behavior. Most cows do not reach her age, do not live in open and complex environments, and are rarely given the opportunity to interact with a variety of manipulable objects.

Site: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/veronika-is-first-cow-to-be-seen-using-a-multi-purpose-tool-something-seen-only-in-apes/

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Edited 2 hours ago by _lost_username_
Trying to show image and added video

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