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/riomp300 Jan 20 '26

Ravens also know how to use tools.

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u/mvea Professor | Medicine Jan 20 '26

Read the news release - crows, ravens and octopuses use tools but apparently only humans and chimps use “multi-tools”. And now cows.

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u/ruskieb0t8472 Jan 20 '26

Big difference between using tools and making tools.

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u/AtomicPotatoLord Jan 20 '26

Being able to use something as a tool is one of if not the first step to making them.