It all started about two weeks ago at a pasture in Inner Mongolia, a region of northern China, where a flock of sheep began to walk in an endless circle for no clear reason.

The great sheep mystery! Hundreds of sheep walk in a circle for over 10 days in N China's Inner Mongolia. The sheep are healthy and the reason for the weird behavior is still a mystery. pic.twitter.com/8Jg7yOPmGK

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) November 16, 2022

A Chinese government press outlet highlighted the story and posted it in a now-viral tweet. Initially, some drew comparisons between the sheep and humans, but mainly everyone was simply baffled as to why these animals were behaving in such a manner.

That's nothing, we have seen millions of sheep walking around in a circle for over 8 years. You can find some of them in replies too 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/D7hD4FoWsg

— Rofl Gandhi 2.0 🏹 (@RoflGandhi_) November 19, 2022

what if theres a mr beast sheep and he told them "the last one to leave the circle wins 10 bags of grain!" https://t.co/phQUN0mJXu

— CONRAAD 🇲🇦🇸🇳 (@Iightworks) November 18, 2022

Others, including a sheep specialist interviewed by Newsweek and this reply guy seen below, offered an explanation for the phenomenon: sheep fenced in a small enclosure start to go a little crazy.

They like to do the same motions over and over again, such as walking in a circle, because they are herd animals. If one sheep begins to act strangely, other sheep will start to follow it. If this is the case, human cruelty to animals has essentially led to this strange behavior, and the only thing supernatural or demonic going on is the conditions the sheep were purportedly kept in.

Sheeps who are used to grazing on grass lands are forcefully kept in enclosures as seen in the video. They move in circles usually when kept in such captivity.
Humans basically are cruel. @ankupande pic.twitter.com/hYCtas3XL4

— Ajay Joe Ⓥ 🇮🇳 (@joedelhi) November 18, 2022

However, Twitter's automated fact-checking service seemed to think the sheep were circling because of a bacterial infection. Others wondered if there might be a different reason behind the viral video, sharing their thoughts as it spread across the web throughout the week.

When you realize it’s a summoning circle for the mega sheep pic.twitter.com/B7usqE75b7

— 8k Memes (@Ultra8kMemes) November 18, 2022

Has to be aliens.https://t.co/1xqI9Dq10Z

— Men's Humor (@MensHumor) November 19, 2022

The internet took the disturbing and absurd development in stride, with many posting about how this latest twist in the timeline has made them feel.

her: you must be a flock of sheep in inner mongolia that have been walking in a circle for over 10 days straight if you think we’re fucking.

me: pic.twitter.com/6dPTaKfaVx

— fleetwood max (@FleetwoodMax__) November 17, 2022

nobody:

those sheep in mongolia:

🐑
🐑 🐑
🐑 🐑

🐑 🐑

🐑 🐑
🐑 🐑
🐑

— helen (@helen) November 22, 2022

Lazy decadent American sheep only walk in circle for 8 days pic.twitter.com/ouMIGJk1RY

— Logan (@wtfBulkLogan) November 19, 2022

While there were a few people who thought the sheep circling might be a sign of the apocalypse, there were many who took the 12-day sheep circumambulation as a positive sign.

I’ve been looking at this footage of animals in China going in circles. – I see a light being in the center of the circle. She is absolutely beautiful. She is spinning and the sheep are following her. Her energy is shooting up from the ground. pic.twitter.com/HNSInr1Tu3

— 🦅🦅Mike🦅🦅 (@92michael) November 23, 2022

Should the sheep continue to circle, you can expect more memes. Twelve days in, the question stands — is it more dangerous for the sheep to keep doing this, possibly summoning dark energies or extraterrestrial visitors, or would it be more dangerous if they stopped circling and whatever force they've been keeping at bay with this ritual were to enter our world?