I admit, I was surprised that a cow had the intelligence for versatile tool use.
But the big thing for me is that I did not know they have prehensile tongues. An actual manipulatory appendage! If you watch closely, you can see that she picks up the tool with her tongue, not her lips or teeth. Being able to manipulate objects like that is a big advantage for tool use. I knew that cows have big, strong tongues but not about the prehensility.
Giraffes have prehensile tongues. I wonder how many other herbivores do, and if so, whether any of them ever use their tongues to pick up objects.
I knew cows had pretty flexible tongues but I'd never thought enough about it to realize they could possibly grab a tool with them.
And I say this as someone whose old sketches contained a "land griffon" species who used 4 prehensile tongues for tool use.
What's interesting with cows is they're primarily grazers, which doesn't require much tongue action. Id have expected it more from a browser like a goat. Something that might wrap its tongue around things to pull them closer, like -- as you say -- giraffes.
>> And I say this as someone whose old sketches contained a "land griffon" species who used 4 prehensile tongues for tool use. <<
That is so awesome.
>>What's interesting with cows is they're primarily grazers, which doesn't require much tongue action. Id have expected it more from a browser like a goat.<<
Exactly. It really makes me wonder how many others could do it.
One interesting thing about goats -- if you move the horn buds together on a kid, you get a goat unicorn, and with a single horn it has better point control. Apparently, enough to untie knots and pick simple latches. A friend of mine use to raise them and said it was hell trying to keep one contained, even worse than regular goats.
Horses on the other hand lean toward prehensile lips. Many of them can undo knots, open lids, etc. but they use their lips.
Oh man yeah, watching a horse move its lips is wild. They're almost fingers.
I've heard about the unicorn goats but I didn't know that it made them better at escape. As if goats weren't good enough at that already. Smart buggers.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Thoughts
Date: 2026-01-29 10:54 pm (UTC)But the big thing for me is that I did not know they have prehensile tongues. An actual manipulatory appendage! If you watch closely, you can see that she picks up the tool with her tongue, not her lips or teeth. Being able to manipulate objects like that is a big advantage for tool use. I knew that cows have big, strong tongues but not about the prehensility.
Giraffes have prehensile tongues. I wonder how many other herbivores do, and if so, whether any of them ever use their tongues to pick up objects.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2026-01-30 01:32 am (UTC)And I say this as someone whose old sketches contained a "land griffon" species who used 4 prehensile tongues for tool use.
What's interesting with cows is they're primarily grazers, which doesn't require much tongue action. Id have expected it more from a browser like a goat. Something that might wrap its tongue around things to pull them closer, like -- as you say -- giraffes.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2026-01-30 02:43 am (UTC)That is so awesome.
>>What's interesting with cows is they're primarily grazers, which doesn't require much tongue action. Id have expected it more from a browser like a goat.<<
Exactly. It really makes me wonder how many others could do it.
One interesting thing about goats -- if you move the horn buds together on a kid, you get a goat unicorn, and with a single horn it has better point control. Apparently, enough to untie knots and pick simple latches. A friend of mine use to raise them and said it was hell trying to keep one contained, even worse than regular goats.
Horses on the other hand lean toward prehensile lips. Many of them can undo knots, open lids, etc. but they use their lips.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2026-01-30 03:32 am (UTC)I've heard about the unicorn goats but I didn't know that it made them better at escape. As if goats weren't good enough at that already. Smart buggers.