A study of Google Earth satellite images has revealed that herds of cattle tend to face in the north-south direction of Earth's magnetic lines.
Staring at cows may not equal the thrill of spotting celebrities in public or rubbernecking at car accidents, but the researchers found nonetheless that our bovine friends display this strange sixth sense for direction.
Their field observations of red and roe deer also showed those animals facing toward magnetic north or south.
I wonder if the sun's path has anything to do with this, like helping warm up the large animals.
Oh, by the way, I object to Jeremy Hsu of Live Science characterizing automobile accidents as thrilling.
2 comments:
It can also be the wind. If there's a strong wind blowing, cows will face away from it, especially if it's cold.
That's an interesting theory. I wonder if the prevailing winds in those areas are north/south. Magnetism could be the answer, or it could be something else.
Maybe that would be something for Texas A&M to investigate further.
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