Re: Why do bulls go after red cloth?

Hi Michelle! Good Question!

Would you believe that bulls are colorblind? Well, they are. The bulls that are used in Bullfighting are bred very carefully to be very aggressive (that means that they get angry pretty easily). When they are three years old, they are put through some tests to see how aggressive they are, and the most aggressive bulls are brought to the bullfight. When they see the matador waving his cloth (remember that they are colorblind, so they only see a dark grey cloth), they charge at it! Also, in the beginning of the bullfight, the matador stabs the bull in the back of it's neck with swords. This makes the bull especially angry, but the matador does that so the bull can't lift it's head (the swords cut the muscles that lift the bulls head).

A red cloth is used for a couple of reasons- it's pretty for the people to see, and if any blood gets on it, it is hard to see. If you ever watch a bullfight, you'll see that the other side of the cloth is yellow. This is just to make it more decorative. The bull will also charge this side of the cloth.

So the reason bulls go after red cloth is not because it's red, but because they think it's teasing them.

Hope this answers your question- Keep them coming!

Cheers,

Jen Paur Superstar