143 upvotes, 4 direct replies (showing 4)
View submission: Why do sheep stare at us?
They're wondering why you're walking over the food and not eating anything!
But seriously, sheep are very curious animals. The often spend time observing things, not just humans, and often much smaller animals like birds, rabbits etc. What they're thinking, who knows, but it's more than just keeping an eye on a threat.
Unlike most prey animals, sheep can become almost trance like when they get fixated on something to the extent they ignore obvious threats. Anyone who has worked with sheep knows there are often a few completely oblivious to a barking sheepdog because they're staring at a plant or something.
Comment by sshiverandshake at 27/01/2025 at 10:43 UTC
33 upvotes, 0 direct replies
But primarily it's because they're prey animals, most prey animals will observe their surroundings (looks like staring to us) since they're evaluating perceived threats in their environment.
Comment by Abquine at 27/01/2025 at 12:55 UTC
8 upvotes, 1 direct replies
From what I've witnessed with Sheep all they think about is, 'help, is it going to eat me' that's when they are not trying to think up ways to die.
Comment by Fit_Lifeguard_3722 at 27/01/2025 at 11:16 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Oblivious to sheep shearers too.
Comment by HellFireMF at 27/01/2025 at 17:51 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Is that why sheep dogs don’t seem too barky?