French researchers have given scientific backing to what shepherds have intuitively known for thousands of years: that the lamb that bleats most and loudest has the best chance of survival.
A team at France’s National Institute of Agronomic Research (Inra) used digital recorders to record lambs’ bleats and matched this with the mother’s response.
Within 24 hours of the lamb’s birth, the ewe can recognise the offspring’s bleat. Within 48 hours, the lamb can probably recognise its mother’s bleat and head to it for milk, they found.
A computer profile of bleats showed that each sheep has an individual voice, varying in tone and modulation, enabling mother and lamb to pair up even in a big, noisy flock.
“Lambs which communicate most have the most chance of survival,” believes Frederic Sebe, Inra researcher.
The team’s next step is to correlate bleating with “stress markers” such as heartbeat, respiration and the stress-management hormone cortisol.
By finding out more about stress, they hope to be able to improve animal welfare and reproductive performance. — AFP