Cows have magnetic attraction to lying north to south

Published on Monday 25 August 2008 22:02

CATS and dogs may always know the way home, but they are not the only animals to have an innate sense of direction.

A study has found that cows have an in-built compass and align themselves north to south when resting, grazing or sleeping.

With the help of Google Earth images, Sabine Begall, of Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen, led a research team that looked at satellite images of 8,510 cattle in more than 300 pastures around the world.

Their findings, published in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, claimed that the earth's magnetic field is "the only common and most likely factor responsible for the observed alignment".

Previous studies into cows' movements have explained how the animals position themselves in relation to the weather, maximising their exposure to the sun on cold days, or to protecting themselves from strong winds.

However, because this study was conducted over so many countries and weather conditions, the researchers concluded the earth's magnetic field is the only logical conclusion. They also saw 3,000 deer in the Czech Republic that showed a north-south body alignment.