[bots]

Scientists are rethinking what cattle are capable of after an Austrian cow named Veronika was found to use tools with impressive skill.

The discovery, reported by researchers in Vienna, suggests cows may have far greater cognitive abilities than previously assumed.

Veronika, a cow living in a mountain village in the Austrian countryside, has spent years perfecting the art of scratching herself using sticks, rakes, and brooms.

Word of her behaviour eventually reached animal intelligence specialists in Vienna, who found Veronika used both ends of the same object for different tasks.

If it were her back or another tough area that warranted a good scratch, she would use the bristle end of a broom.

When a softer touch was needed, such as on her sensitive underbelly, she would use the smooth handle end.

This kind of tool use is rarely seen in the animal kingdom and has never been documented in cattle before.

Dr Antonio Osuna-Mascaro of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna said: "We were not expecting cows to be able to use tools, and we were not expecting a cow to use a tool as a multipurpose tool. Until now this has only been consistently reported in chimpanzees."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0n127y74go