As it turns out, not only birds and fish use the Earth's magnetic field to orient themselves — cows do, too. Using satellite imagery, scientists have discovered that cows generally align themselves with the Earth's magnetic north or south. It was the first time scientists noticed this behavior in larger mammals — the same study also found deer behaving similarly.

More Cow Facts:

• Some researchers report that electromagnetic waves from nearby power lines may disorient cows from their usual north-south orientation.


• The same study found that things like the sun's position or the strength of winds didn't have much effect on the directions of how cows stand.


• Cows generally sit down before the rain.

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