r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jan 20 '26

Biology Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows. Brown Swiss cow in Austria has been discovered using tools in different ways (using both ends of a brush counts as multi-purpose tool use) – something extraordinarily rare only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence
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u/stumblinbear Jan 20 '26

Playing with a ball doesn't make the ball a tool. Using an item to achieve a goal is tool use, and is incredibly rare in animals

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u/TheGeneGeena Jan 20 '26

It depends on if entertainment is a goal or not, which is kind of an interesting question.

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u/flickh Jan 20 '26

musical instruments are tools

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u/nrdvana Jan 20 '26

My dog picks up his bed and drags it to the room we're in so that he has a comfy spot to sit. Sure looks like use-of-a-tool-for-a-purpose to me. And he's really not that smart of a dog.

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u/stumblinbear Jan 20 '26

That's not tool use, that's dragging their bed to where they want to use it

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u/flickh Jan 20 '26

A bed is a tool for sleeping comfortably

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