static methods cannot be overridden ?

[Tom McCann]

I am very confused (so what's new ?). In the SCJP Exam guide it says that static methods cannot be overridden. Yet I have just compiled and run the following test program with the expected results. Am I missing something in my understanding of the statement that "static methods cannot be overridden" ?

class Animal {
static void eat() {
System.out.println("I am eating");
}
}
 
class Horse extends Animal {
static void eat() {
System.out.println("I am eating hay");
}
}
 
public class Test {
public static void main (String[] args) {
Animal.eat();
Horse.eat();
}
}    

produces the output:

I am eating
I am eating hay

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

There's a nice page about this in the JavaRanch FAQ.

[Tom McCann]

Many Thanks.