Cow tipping
Encyclopedia
Cow tipping or cow pushing is the purported activity of sneaking up on a sleeping, upright cow
and pushing it over for fun. As cattle do not sleep standing up, cow tipping is a myth.
A study led by Margo Lillie, a doctor of zoology
at the University of British Columbia
, concludes that cow tipping—by a single person—is impossible. Her calculations found that it would take at least two people to apply enough force to push over a cow if the cow does not react and reorient its footing. If the cow does react, it would take at least four people to push it over, according to the results. Lillie notes that, contrary to the nature of the myth, cattle are well aware of their surroundings and are very difficult to sneak up on, due to excellent senses of both smell and hearing.
In contrast to the reality of the cow-tipping myth, horse
s do regularly sleep standing up due to a locking mechanism of their stifle joint
, a trait cows do not possess.
and Pliny
record a belief that European moose
had no knee joints and could not get up if they fell over. This belief may relate to the ancient custom of trapping moose in steep-sided pits.
In 1255, Louis IX of France
gave an elephant to Henry III of England
for his menagerie
in the Tower of London
. Drawn from life by the historian Matthew Paris
for his Chronica Majora
, it can be seen in his bestiary
at Parker Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
, with an accompanying text revealing that at the time, Europeans believed that elephants did not have knee
s and so were unable to get up if they fell over. The bestiary contains a drawing depicting an elephant on its back being dragged along the ground by another elephant, with a caption stating that elephants lacked knees.
, who were arrested for damaging a gate to a communications tower in an open field, told police deputies that they had gone into the field and tipped over a cow. However, police stated this was impossible because there were no cattle within several miles of the field.
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and pushing it over for fun. As cattle do not sleep standing up, cow tipping is a myth.
Myth and reality
According to the myth, cattle are slow-moving, slow-witted and weak-legged, and can easily be pushed over without much force, both because they have a high center of gravity, and because they sleep standing up. However, despite the widespread legend of tipping cows, numerous publications have debunked the practice's feasibility. Cattle only rest while standing up, rather than sleeping that way, and they are easily disturbed. Additionally, they represent over a half ton of weight that would easily resist a lesser tipping force. A variety of calculations have been performed to determine if cow tipping is physically possible.A study led by Margo Lillie, a doctor of zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, concludes that cow tipping—by a single person—is impossible. Her calculations found that it would take at least two people to apply enough force to push over a cow if the cow does not react and reorient its footing. If the cow does react, it would take at least four people to push it over, according to the results. Lillie notes that, contrary to the nature of the myth, cattle are well aware of their surroundings and are very difficult to sneak up on, due to excellent senses of both smell and hearing.
In contrast to the reality of the cow-tipping myth, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s do regularly sleep standing up due to a locking mechanism of their stifle joint
Stifle joint
The stifle joint is a complex joint in the hind limbs of quadruped mammals such as the sheep, horse or dog. It is the equivalent joint to the human knee...
, a trait cows do not possess.
History
Julius CaesarJulius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
record a belief that European moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
had no knee joints and could not get up if they fell over. This belief may relate to the ancient custom of trapping moose in steep-sided pits.
In 1255, Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
gave an elephant to Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
for his menagerie
Menagerie
A menagerie is/was a form of keeping common and exotic animals in captivity that preceded the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in seventeenth century France in reference to the management of household or domestic stock. Later, it came to be used primarily in reference to...
in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. Drawn from life by the historian Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire...
for his Chronica Majora
Chronica Majora
The Chronica Majora is an important medieval illuminated manuscript chronicle by Matthew Paris, one of a number of redactions of his work on English history.It is currently in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. It covers the period 1240-53...
, it can be seen in his bestiary
Bestiary
A bestiary, or Bestiarum vocabulum is a compendium of beasts. Bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals, birds and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson...
at Parker Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, with an accompanying text revealing that at the time, Europeans believed that elephants did not have knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
s and so were unable to get up if they fell over. The bestiary contains a drawing depicting an elephant on its back being dragged along the ground by another elephant, with a caption stating that elephants lacked knees.
News
In April 2008, four men in Naples, FloridaNaples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
, who were arrested for damaging a gate to a communications tower in an open field, told police deputies that they had gone into the field and tipped over a cow. However, police stated this was impossible because there were no cattle within several miles of the field.
Popular culture
Cow-tipping has appeared in a variety of media and entertainment.- In several of the post-apocalyptic RPGRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
games from the Fallout series, the player character can attempt "Brahmin"-tipping, Brahmin being a two-headed radiation-induced mutant species of cow. - In the 2006 animated movie BarnyardBarnyard (film)Barnyard is a 2006 computer-animated family comedy film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures, directed by Steve Oedekerk . and produced by Steve Oedekerk, Paul Marshal, and Pam Marsden...
, a group of tough talking cattle from New Jersey go "boy-tipping" in response to similar behavior against cattle. - In another 2006 animation movie, CarsCars (film)Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
, characters go "tractor-tippin'". - In a 1994 episode of the popular animated television series Beavis and Butt-headBeavis and Butt-HeadBeavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
, the two titular characters, after watching a milk ad on television, set out to tip over a cow, only to result in BeavisBeavisBeavis is a fictional character on the MTV series Beavis and Butt-head. He is voiced by the show’s creator, Mike Judge.Beavis has an underbite and a fixated stare on his face which rarely looks straight at the television viewer, but rather to the side...
being crushed when the cow falls on him. - Cow-tipping is also featured in the 1989 black comedy HeathersHeathersHeathers is a 1989 black comedy film starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. The film portrays four girls in a trend-setting clique at a fictional Ohio high school...
, as well as the 1995 Chris FarleyChris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
-David SpadeDavid SpadeDavid Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
comedy film Tommy BoyTommy BoyTommy Boy is a 1995 road comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, and Fred Wolf. It stars former Saturday Night Live colleagues Chris Farley and David Spade. The film tells the story of a socially and emotionally immature man who learns lessons about friendship and...
. - The Maryland Lottery/Bovines Unite, Famous Dave's restaurants ("Angus with attitude") and Coffee Mate television ads have all featured cows engaged in people-tipping.
- The Official Cow-Tippers Handbook by Red McCoy and Duke Righteous is another example of how this urban legend has seeped into popular culture.
- The country band The Little WilliesThe Little WilliesThe Little Willies is a band formed in 2003. It features Norah Jones on piano and vocals, Richard Julian on vocals, Jim Campilongo on guitar, Lee Alexander on bass, and Dan Rieser on drums....
in their 2006 self-titled first album features a song called "Lou Reed", with lyrics about having seen Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
cow-tipping.