Cows are social animals and have cow best friends, but new research shows that they can also recognize and differentiate human faces. Cows have been domesticated for over 10,000 years, but we are still learning about them. Previous research has shown that sheep and pigs can recognize human faces, and cows have been assumed to do so, but this has never been scientifically tested until now.
In the study, conducted by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment and published in PLOS, cows were shown videos of eight men who were regular caregivers, and four men whom the cows had never seen before. Each man was filmed in the same environment and recited the same sentences that the cows were not likely to have heard before. The cows were shown two faces: one familiar to them and one unfamiliar. They were also shown individual portraits, along with audio recordings of both the voice corresponding to the person in the image and another person's voice.
An extended gaze correlates with novelty in animals, particularly prey animals. An unknown creature may be a threat and therefore warrants close inspection. The cows spent significantly more time looking at portraits of unfamiliar faces. They displayed the same behavior when the voice did not correlate with the portrait they were shown, indicating that the cows could discern individual humans via their portraits and voices.
The study concludes:
A better understanding of how cows perceive and differentiate humans could help inform husbandry practices that incorporate human–animal interactions aligned with their cognitive abilities, in order to provide them with greater opportunities for choice and initiative in their relationship with humans – thereby reinforcing their agency, a key component of positive welfare.
Unlike horses in similar studies, the cows did not show increased heart rate when viewing familiar faces, which would have suggested an emotional response. Cows may recognize human faces, but their best friends are still going to be other cows.
Previously:
• Mice act as first responders to help unconscious companions
• Watch Apollo, an African Grey parrot, identify colors, materials, and more
• Veronika the cow joins exclusive club of tool users
