“BAA, BAA”: Can sheep talk to each other?

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Siwiaszczyk, Marine | Love, Scott A. | Chaillou, Elodie

Edité par CCSD ; Frontiers Media -

International audience. If you have ever been out to the countryside in the spring, you might have heard sheep bleating to their lambs. Sheep also bleat when they are separated from the flock or stressed in some other way. To us, all these bleats sound very similar. But do you think they also sound similar to the lambs? Or do you think the lambs know whose mother is calling and what they are saying? Scientists try to interpret the bleats of sheep by observing their behavior when they hear these sounds. They study the sound waves of recorded bleats to identify each sheep’s unique voice and even determine which emotions the sheep are feeling. They also investigate the brain to find out what is going on inside the heads of sheep when they hear and understand the sounds of other sheep. Studies show that sheep really can recognize each other’s voices and communicate vocally.

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