Scientists, who described last year that deer and cows are inclined to orient themselves in a north-south alignment, have now discovered that power lines can disorient these animals. When the power lines are in an east-west direction, that’s the way grazing cattle tend to align, as reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They also ascertained that cows and deer located under northeast-southwest or northwest-southeast power lines faced in random directions. The research was done using satellite and aerial images.

Last August, the researchers suggested the north-south orientation was due to the earth’s magnetic field. The new study adds power to the argument that animals respond to magnetic effects, since power lines also produce a magnetic field. The effect was most noticeable near the power lines, declining as as distance from the lines grew. The planet’s magnetic field is thought to be a factor in bird navigation, and other animals.