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Cows Can Use Tools. Are We Underestimating How Smart They Are?
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this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2026
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This is just dumb. Of course cows use tools. There's a small dairy farm near where I live, that has an automatic milking station in one end of the barn. Whenever one of the cows feels like their udder is too full, they just walk into the station, and it clips onto them and starts milking.
They aren't stupid. They know what it is, and what it does...and they use it. Consciously.
That’s not the same thing lol
Yeah, everyone knows intelligence is measured by how good the subject is at actions requiring thumbs
You didn’t read the article. I would pump your breaks before I embarrass you lol.
I think your efforts would be better spent reading what you’re replying to so you don’t embarrass yourself further
Nope, I'm suggesting that’s what you should do lmao 🤣
Confidently wrong, that seems about right. you know this is a science sub right? If I was a mod here I would remove about half of your comments for being belligerent and argumentative. This isn't even about your opinion, you're just making this comment section hostile and unwelcome to discourse.
If you actually wanted to have a discussion it would be different.
Why isn't it? Cow knows this thing makes them feel better so they use it, it's a tool just like the broomstick.
It’s a matter of using a literal tool with its own body. Not recognizing things 🤣
It's legitimately depressing that this comment has this many upvotes. This is a science community and they're upvoting a scientifically incorrect statement.
Did you read the article? Cows now occupy a category of tool users that only has two other animals in it: humans and chimpanzees. The category is multipurpose tool use. In order to be placed in this group the animal needs to use one tool to perform different functions.
Walking onto an automatic milking device is an entirely different category of intelligence.
Yeah...no. This cow didn't "make" this tool. It just used a tool that was readily available. It didn't modify it in any way, in order to specifically accomplish this task.
THAT is the criteria for advanced tool use.
What this cow is doing, is extremely common in nature. It's found something in its environment that is useful. It's literally using a stick to scratch an itch. That's even less evolved than a bird building a nest, or ants digging a network of tunnels.
Thanks for confirming you didn't read the article and that your opinions on this can be safely ignored.