Udderly weird! Herd of cows JUMP over the white line in the middle of the road as they cross over to a new field
- A herd of cows in the UK have been spotted leaping over road lane markings
- Twitter users have been left fascinated by the bizarre avoidance of thin air
- Many have shared their ideas as to why the herd chose to jump the flat line
This is the bizarre moment a herd of cows jump over lane markings in the middle of a sodden country road somewhere in the UK.
In a real show of herd mentality the first cow creates a bovine Mexican wave as each follower leaps gracefully over the line.
Mesmerized viewers took to social media to show off the strangely charming sight to their friends.
The strange dance routine begins as leader of the herd confidently leaps over the line.
With a small amount of hesitancy, the others decide that this is most certainly the only way to approach the road markings, each following the first’s example.
Several theories have been posited on why the heifers chose the odd ballet routine, with one user speculating the line could remind them of electric fencing used to guide them away from areas they shouldn’t be in.
As the cows traverse the damp fields they encounter the road markings prompting their strange response
It’s not quite the moon: The last cow cuts a striking image as it makes the groups final hurdle to cross the empty road
Many have found that the odd display has left them feeling more positive for the day ahead while others have vowed to change their diets in honour of the display
However, it is more likely that the twinkle-toed crowd is actually afraid of what they can’t see.
Cows eyes are much different from a human’s, taking in a broader field of vision than humans at the cost of depth perception.
It is more likely the crowd are registering the line as a much bigger obstacle than it is, feeling the need to leap over just to be safe.
The same practice is applied with cow catchers, grids over broad ditches at the entrances to fields, the bright lines of the metal coupled with the dark of the ditch encourages cows to stay away.
Similar methods have been used with just painted on road markings in a similar pattern, which often has the same result, halting cows in their tracks.
Cattle grids or cow-catchers as they are sometimes known are used to keep tracks into fields open to vehicles while restricting livestock from leaving
Due to the poor depth perception most cows have painting lines across a road gives the same appearance of a grid tricking them into avoiding the area – a much cheaper alternative