Dogs might poop in line with the Earth’s magnetic field
written by: elyson
For a dog owner seeing a dog poop may not be surprising. However, that it always tend to spin around or move in circles before doing so can be startling. And the reason behind this norm is the Earth’s magnetic field. Dogs together with sea turtles, birds and even cows use this principle of aligning themselves to the Earth’s magnetic field to either orient themselves in the case of dogs and cows or gauge distances.
This is especially concerning the sea turtles and birds that use such magnetic field to travel over longer distances that they would in other circumstances not managed. For instance, while grazing cows tend to align themselves along the north-south axis and the main reason for this is unclear.
To the human beings this has not affected their behavior. Recent unearthings are however stating otherwise. According to the latest researches done, it has been discovered that human beings at one point back in history might have experienced the same thing with the Earth’s magnetic field. This is due to the presence of light-sensitive proteins found in their eyes.
When magnetic field conditions are calm and stable, dogs like to excrete while aligning themselves along the north-south axis, a similar practice noted earlier in cattle as they graze.
This trait was discovered by researchers from Germany and Czech who conducted a study on dogs of different breeds. The researchers analyzed more than 70 dogs all from 37 different breeds within a time span of 2 years.
They then published their findings in the Frontiers in Zoology and in the journal the conclusion was that, dogs under normal circumstances poop under the influence of the earth’s magnetic field. This practice cuts across all breeds and whether the dog is male or female it will still align itself the same way. It should also be noted that though calm magnetic field conditions come rarely especially during daylight hours, when they do, dogs even those that are often choosy about how to poop, would suddenly excrete along the specified north-south axis.
In terms of urinal traits or defecation, dogs of both sexes male and female, have no preferred posture that set them apart. Instead they urinate and defecate in the same posture even though male dogs tend to be more aware of the north-south axis. This is because unlike female dogs, they prefer to align themselves along this line each time they urinate.
In the process the lift their legs, a behavior that is consistent with all male dogs. However, what has baffled many researchers is knowing which type of leg a male dog would prefer to raise while urinating. Such tendency has now raised questions and is a case for ongoing studies. If successful, the researchers would like to find out which direction the dog prefers to face depending on whether it has lifted its right or left leg.
Generally, despite the fact that it is difficult to understand why a dog would align its body along the north-south axis, it is still a subject worth delving into. This way you might know a thing or two about your dog you never thought of before.
