From a dog with an IQ of 142 to a raccoon that can play the piano: Meet the world's smartest animals - as a cow with 'extraordinary intelligence' is discovered

If you have a pet, they might appear pretty switched on – fetching sticks, solving food puzzles, or remembering the names of their favourite toys.  

However, there are some animal Einsteins, whose intelligence is truly out of the ordinary. 

This week, a cow with 'extraordinary intelligence' was discovered in the Austrian village of Carinthia.

Veronika shocked researchers as she became the first documented case of a cow working out how to use a tool.

Elsewhere, experts have revealed other unassuming animals with unique skills and abilities. 

'Britain's brightest dog', a Border Collie called Harvey, can recognise more than 200 different words and will fetch all of his toys – by their name. 

And over in Sussex, Kimberly the raccoon has amazed her owner by learning more than 100 tricks.

Here's a closer look at some of the world's smartest animals. 

Veronika the cow

Witgar Wiegele, an organic farmer and baker, had kept Veronika as a pet for more than 10 years when he noticed her special abilities.

Veronika could recognise different family members' voices and would hurry off to meet them.

But, most impressively of all, Veronika started playing with sticks and eventually learned to scratch herself with them. 

A paper published on January 19 in the journal Current Biology argues that this is the first recorded case of a pet cow learning to use a tool. 

In a series of controlled trials, they placed a deck brush on the ground in random orientations and recorded which end Veronika chose and which part of her body she targeted.

Across repeated sessions, her choices were consistent and suited to the body regions she was scratching.

Co–author Antonio Osuna–Mascaró, a post–doctoral researcher, said: 'Veronika is not just using an object to scratch herself. She uses different parts of the same tool for different purposes, and she applies different techniques depending on the function of the tool and the body region.'

This unique ability puts Veronika on a par with other tool–using animals, such as chimpanzees and crows.

Cooper the Shih Tzu

Shih Tzu Cooper – also known as 'the canine Einstein' – is owned by Kirsty Forrester from Lytham St Anne's in Lancashire. 

This pooch's incredible claim to fame is that he supposedly has an IQ of 142, which would make him more intelligent than the average human.

Cooper first came to the world's attention when Ms Forrester posted a video of him sorting shapes.

Without any assistance, Cooper was able to place different shapes in their appropriate holes.

Cooper has also learned to stick his tongue out on command, count out pieces of food, sort objects by colour, and use a ring stacking toy.

According to his owner, this incredible dog even learns new skills faster than a human toddler.

Ms Forrester previously told the Daily Mail: 'The reason why I think the shape sorting has captured so many people's attention is that it relates to toddlers and it's one of the first toys we give to human children.

Harvey the Border Collie

Seven–year–old Harvey has the impressive claim of being 'Britain's brightest dog' thanks to his incredible memory.

After his owner, Irene Hewlett, 52, started by teaching him the name of just one toy, Harvey has gone on to learn 221 words.

He has now been accepted into several studies for genius pooches by scientists who want to study his ability to fetch a toy by name alone. 

Harvey is what scientists call a 'gifted word learner', a special class of dogs that have a unique ability to learn human words.

Scientists have found that gifted world learners can learn the connection between hundreds of words and objects.

Some dogs are even able to sort their toys into different conceptual categories, such as toys that are for pulling and toys that are for fetching, without being taught which toy is which.

In a recent study, scientists even found that gifted world learners like Harvey can grow their vocabulary just by eavesdropping on their owners.

This means dogs like Harvey have a language ability equivalent to that of an 18 to 23–month–old toddler.

Melanie the raccoon 

However, it isn't just gifted dogs that have displayed an impressive ability to learn new tricks.

Raccoon owner Kimberly Unger, from Sussex, is convinced her unusual pet is as smart as any other dog, despite the creature normally living in the wild in North America.

Ms Unger wanted to prove that the wild animal could be tamed, and so took it upon herself to teach Melanie over 100 tricks.

The smart raccoon knows how to somersault, touch her ears on command, put a ball through a hoop, push a shopping trolley, and ride a miniature bike.

Perhaps most impressively, Ms Unger even taught Melanie how to play a raccoon–sized piano. 

White Gladis the orca

While some brainy animals are taught tricks, not all intelligent animals use their powers for our entertainment.

In the Strait of Gibraltar, one particularly intelligent orca is using its exceptional intelligence to create chaos.

White Gladis is the dominant female of a pod that has been linked to over 700 close encounters with boats, some of which have ended in vessels sinking. 

The orcas methodically tear the rudders of passing boats, leaving terrified sailors stranded all along this vital waterway.

In a recent study, researchers discovered that this pod's success might be due to their own secret language.

Orca pods are typically very vocal, especially when they are hunting or playing, but White Gladis and her team pulled apart stranded yachts in eerie silence.

However, scientists have now discovered that this is merely a tactical choice.

Because these killer whales are experts in tackling the alert and flighty tuna, they have learned to hunt in silence and avoid any noise that might startle the fish.

Using cutting–edge audio equipment, researchers found that the pod had developed new vocalisations not found in any other orca populations.

However, that does not mean that White Gladis and her pod are necessarily evil geniuses.

Dr Renaud de Stephanis, president of the Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (CIRCE) in Spain, told the Daily Mail: 'What we have been documenting in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Gulf of Cádiz, and Portugal is a game–like behaviour developed by a small subpopulation of orcas,' they said.  

'They focus on the rudder of sailboats because it reacts dynamically when pushed – it moves, vibrates, and provides resistance.' 

Anchali the Asian elephant

Orcas aren't the only brainy animals that like to cause a bit of chaos for their own entertainment. 

Zookeepers at Berlin Zoo were amazed to witness an Asian elephant pranking its friend.

The elephant, called Anchali, sabotaged her friend Mary's shower by lifting and kinking the hose to disrupt the flow of water. 

Scientists believe this might display a new level of sophisticated tool use that elephants had previously not been thought capable of. 

In a report, published in the journal Current Biology, researchers described how 'amazing' Anchali and Mary were at using hoses.

They found that Mary grasps the hose behind its tip to use it as a stiff shower head and then systematically showers her body, coordinating the water hose with her limbs.

To reach her back, she switches to a lasso strategy, grasping the hose farther up and swinging it over her body.

However, what surprised the team most was the way Anchali deliberately kinked and squeezed the hose while Mary was showering after an aggressive interaction.

While they can't be sure of Anchali's intentions, it looked a lot like the elephant was displaying a kind of second–order tool–use behaviour, disabling a tool in more conventional use by a fellow elephant, perhaps as an act of sabotage. 

Lead author Professor Michael Brecht, from the Humboldt University of Berlin, previously told the Daily Mail: 'Nobody had thought that she'd be smart enough to pull off such a trick.'