Lightning kills, on average, 50 people a year in the US but sometimes kills dozens or even hundreds of animals in a single strike, as happened in South Dakota and Norway this year. Why is lightning so much more deadly to grazing animals like cows, deer, or caribou (aka reindeer)? It turns out that, in addition to obviously being outside in bad weather more often than people, the quadrupedal nature of hoofed animals makes them more susceptible to electrocution. Because their front and back legs are so far apart, they are more likely to create a potential electrical differential between contacts with the wet ground and to conduct a lightening discharge through their body. See the examples below of the tree-like pattern, a Lichtenberg figure, formed where lightning strikes occurred.
Motherboard Article:
Citylab Article:
YouTube:
Lichtenberg pattern burns caused by lightening strikes:
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Lichtenberg pattern on a golf course green:
Scientific Article:
shaw and neiland 1973
