After I released a lamb that had got its head stuck in a fence, it ran halfway across the field to a ewe and immediately started suckling. I heard no calling, so how did the lamb recognise its mother from all the other ewes it ran past? It can hardly have been the coat she was wearing.
鈥� To a farmer, the lamb鈥檚 behaviour is normal. Many animals recognise their young or mothers by sight, sound or smell, and sheep are no exception.
In the first few hours after a lamb鈥檚 birth, it is crucial that the ewe and lamb aren鈥檛 disturbed so they are able to bond. They will then recognise each other among hundreds of other ewes and lambs, and over distances of hundreds of metres. If they become separated, the first method they use to find each other will often be calling. When sheep are put in an enclosure for husbandry purposes, it is important to return them to their paddock with sufficient daylight hours for the ewes and lambs to 鈥渕other up鈥�. If there are a lot of them, there will be a symphony of bleating until they all find each other.
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Sheep are great at recognising, differentiating and remembering sheep and even human faces. Our daughter raised an orphaned lamb in 2003. Even though she only returns home once a year and he lives in a paddock with other sheep, he still remembers her and always seeks her out for a pat and special treats.
Sheep aren鈥檛 credited with a high level of mental capacity and are often thought of as being stupid. But having observed ovine behaviour for many years, I could write a book espousing their high mental capacity, great memory and interesting habits.
Anna Butcher, Brookton, Western Australia
鈥� The lamb didn鈥檛 recognise its mother by sight, but by smell. Humans tend to pay more attention to sight when finding things. Most of us have no idea what it would be like to experience life through a greater reliance on other senses, although people who are blind, for example, can become more attuned to input from their other senses, such as hearing.
Dogs have an excellent sense of smell and they aren鈥檛 the only ones. Many animals, including sheep, rely on other senses, including hearing and touch, but smell tops the list.
Courtney Schumacher, via email, no address supplied
鈥� When lambs are newly born, ewes usually keep them close. But lambs grow up fast. Within a few days, the ewes encourage them to become more independent by allowing them to move further away. Yet when ewes with new lambs are disturbed, they usually immediately know where their lambs are. In the case of the lamb stuck in the fence, the ewe may well have known exactly where it was, and was happy to take a break from the demands of motherhood for a while.
Any person working with the same group of sheep will soon be able to identify them by their looks, the way they walk, their behaviour and their bleat. The sheep probably do this too.
Jan Horton, West Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
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