Readers may have seen the recent video of a herd of 150 heifers following a beaver (if not, this post contains the original video). However, this is not the first time cows have been shown to follow unusual stimuli:
A traditional way of herding cattle is by using Kulning, a high-pitchedScandinavian cattle herding call. It is traditionally carried out by women (Johnson, 1984). Although numerous studies on the physiology and acoustics of Kulning have been carried out, there is a lack of research on why cattle react to this style of singing.
Remote control vehicles may also provoke a follow/chase response in cattle, as shown by this video.
References
Johnson, A., 1984. Voice physiology and ethnomusicology: Physiological and acoustical studies of the Swedish herding song. Yearbook for Traditional Music, pp.42-66.
Barreleye Zoology 