Cattle shown to align north-south

BBC ^ | 8/25/08 | Elizabeth Mitchell

[LibWhacker]

Have you ever noticed that herds of grazing animals all face the same way?

Images from Google Earth have confirmed that cattle tend to align their bodies in a north-south direction.

Wild deer also display this behaviour - a phenomenon that has apparently gone unnoticed by herdsmen and hunters for thousands of years.

[Question Liberal Authority]

They just can’t let the Civil War go.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

It was at an east/west fence the cows stood
at night before we tipped them.

[Mr. Mojo]

....a phenomenon that has apparently gone unnoticed by herdsmen and hunters for thousands of years.

Oh, I suspect more than a few sharp hunters/herdsmen have noticed the phenomenon in those thousands of years.

[Inyo-Mono]

Actually, I have noticed this. I always thought cattle did it to keep the sun out of their faces so that they could see predators better.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Cattle do stand with their rear facing a windy cold snap.

[TruthWillWin]

My step daughter does that when sleeping. She needs to place the head of her bed facing north.

[oldenuff2no]

The sun has something to do with it but the weather is what usually causes this alignment. Storms come in from the south and a cow well put her behind into the weather. North winds are cold and dry but a cow will still turn her head away from that weather change too.
I was born and raised on a big ranch and every cowboy worth his salt knows all about what a heard of cattle will look like in a storm.
Who ever dreamed up this post doesn't know the north end of a cow from the south end.

[aShepard]

Well yeah!

At least one eye is available to check out the surrounding area without being blinded by the sun!

[martin_fierro]

[aShepard]

Well yeah!

At least one eye is available to check out the surrounding area without being blinded by the sun!

[dighton]

Horses too, south end of northbound.

[Crystal Cove]

Mark Twain talked about cows always facing north in either The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer. I don’t notice them all facing the same way when I see cows, though.

[Inyo-Mono]

Cattle facing same direction PING!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1960184/posts

[river rat]

"Have you ever noticed that herds of grazing animals all face the same way"?

May I suggest that "herds" are called "herds" because they are herding animals.... Herds follow the leader.... Most members of herds usually move in the same direction -- this requires them to generally face that direction since most animals resist walking backwards!

I will admit that during my preteen youth spent in the company of LOTS of cattle, sheep and deer ------ I NEVER noticed a bias toward a North/South alignment.... What I DID notice was the current position of the herd, plus the direction they wished to go -- modified by the terrain , had a whole lot to do with their "alignment"...

Jeeze - these scientists have too much time on their hands..

[dfwgator]

[Cvengr]

Methinks the grad students taking the surveys of cow alignments always stood to the north or south of the penned cattle. Maybe the socialists are breeding cattle herds the same way they farm raise trout. Look for synchronized cow tipping in the next Olympics.

[444Flyer]

There’s a Far Side joke in there somewhere.

[Smokin' Joe]

Yep. Wind direction dependent more than anything, and it depends on which direction the storms come from. The writer needs to get out in the boonies more often...