Do ewes recognize their lambs within the first day postpartum without the help of olfactory cues?

Terrazas, Angélica; Ferreira, Guillaume; Lévy, Frédéric; Nowak, Raymond; Serafín, Norma; Orgeur, P.; Acuña-Soto, Rodolfo; Poindron, Pascal

doi:10.1016/s0376-6357(99)00045-5

Cited by 43 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Three independent groups of multiparous ewes were submitted to a two-choice test between the bleats of their own lamb and those of an alien lamb of about the age, at 6 hr (n ¼ 15), 24 hr (n ¼ 18), or 48 hr (n ¼ 15) postpartum. The testing procedure was similar to the one used in previous studies by Ferreira et al (2000) and Terrazas et al (1999). Mothers were tested in a 7 m Â 5 m Â 5 m triangular testing enclosure (Fig.…”

Section: Study 2: Vocal Discrimination By Ewes and Their Lambs Duringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishment of vocal communication and discrimination between ewes and their lamb in the first two days after parturition

Sèbe¹,

Nowak²,

Poindron³

et al. 2007

Developmental Psychobiology

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In sheep, the mother-young relationship is characterized by an exclusive bond that relies on the rapid establishment of mutual recognition. However, the role of acoustic cues has been underestimated and neglected in this early discrimination. Therefore, the aim of the present study was (1) to characterize the vocal behavior of ewes and their lambs during the first 15 days postpartum and (2) to investigate the ability of newborn lambs and their mothers to discriminate each other from alien subjects within the first 48 hr postpartum on the basis of acoustic cues only. Ewes started to vocalize in the last 3 hr preceding parturition, emitting mainly high-pitched bleats. However, the bleating activity was highest during the first 3 hr following birth, consisting mainly of low-pitched bleats. Thereafter it decreased sharply until 24 hr postpartum, with most of the activity coming from the mother. In a two-choice test, ewes discriminated their own from an alien lamb on the basis of acoustic cues only at 24 hr postpartum, while lambs did so for their mother at 48 hr, which in both cases was much earlier than reported so far. We conclude that early vocal recognition between the ewe and her lamb may play an important role for the maintenance of mother-young contact. ß 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 375-386, 2007.

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Section: Study 2: Vocal Discrimination By Ewes and Their Lambs Duringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishment of vocal communication and discrimination between ewes and their lamb in the first two days after parturition

Sèbe¹,

Nowak²,

Poindron³

et al. 2007

Developmental Psychobiology

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“…However, Alexander and Shillito [10], Terrazas et al [11], Alexander and Stevens [12], Lindsay [3], and Lynch et al [13] have presented irrefutable evidence showing that the discrimination of ewes between their own and alien lambs is mediated primarily by an olfactory cue from the lamb's wool and skin, not from a specific area on the lamb's body nor from the AF. It is known that that pheromonebinding proteins (PBPs) assist in the transport of volatile pheromones in mammals (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of amniotic fluid of Dohne Merino ewes (Ovis aries) and its possible role in neonatal recognition

Viviers

Bekker

Burger

et al. 2015

Zeitschrift Für Naturforschung C

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Amniotic fluid (AF) was investigated as a possible source of the neonatal recognition cue that plays a crucial role in ewe-lamb bonding in sheep. A total of 70 of the 133 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), previously identified in the cranial wool of neonatal Dohne Merino lambs, was also identified in AF collected individually from neonatal twins. As in the case of the wool of neonatal lambs, the VOC profiles (GC-MS) of the AF of twins were remarkably similar. However, the VOC profiles of the AF differed from that of the wool VOCs of the same lambs. The VOCs that best represent the total variance in the AF and wool of neonatal lambs were not identified as ligands of the AF proteins. These observations suggest that it is unlikely that the neonatal recognition cue of sheep could be a maternal label derived from the AF in which a lamb is born, and that the neonatal recognition cue is probably produced by the lamb. Taking cognizance of the temporal changes that take place in the quantitative composition of the cranial wool VOCs, we hypothesize that components of the neonatal recognition cue are already produced by the lamb well before its birth and that the quantitative composition in which these volatiles are released into the AF does not correspond to the composition of the recognition cue of the lamb at its birth. When grooming the newborn lamb, its mother removes AF containing incorrect chemical information from her lamb's body and this affords her enough time to learn its personal recognition cue.

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“…In another study, Terrazas et al (1999) attempted to test whether ewes would discriminate between their own and an alien lamb in a situation in which olfactory cues could not be used. To this end, mothers were given the choice between their own and an alien lamb when separated by a minimum distance of 1 m. The ewe to be tested was placed in a Y maze enclosure fitted inside a triangle delimited by plain metal hurdles, while her own lamb and an alien lamb of approximately the same age were placed in each of the individual pens at the other corners of the enclosure.…”

Section: Mutual Mother-young Visual Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensory factors involved in mother-young bonding in sheep: a review

Mora-Medina¹,

Orihuela²,

Arch-Tirado³

et al. 2016

Vet. Med.

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ABSTRACT:The aim of this review is to discuss sensory recognition (olfaction, vision, vocalisation, hearing and direct contact) in relation to the ewe-lamb bond, and the relevance of this information for animal management, considering that sensory recognition between ewes and their offspring is a key element of lamb welfare. In some parental care strategies, parents promote recognition of their own young in order to ensure their survival by providing them -and only them -with food, while the young simultaneously learn features of the environment. In the specific case of sheep, mother-young bonding is established during the sensitive period of the first 4 h after birth. The ewe prints a distinctive signal on her lambs that marks her as the legitimate mother, while stimulating the offspring's learning processes through olfactory, visual and acoustic cues. However, the sensory basis for proximal recognition of lambs changes over time as they learn to recognise the signals emitted by the mother. After 4 h -or less -the ewe becomes maternally selective; this means that she accepts only her own lambs at the udder, while actively rejecting alien newborns. Likewise, newborn lambs develop a preference for their mothers in less than one day. This preference is regulated by the difference between the acceptance behaviour manifested by the lamb's own mother and the aggressive rejecting behaviour shown by alien ewes. This early discriminative ability allows the lamb to avoid the aggressive actions of alien dams and maintain close contact with its own lactating mother. At around one week of age, lambs learn to develop the sensory cues that allow them to recognize their mother. These include olfactory, visual, acoustic and tactile information. Mutual ewe-lamb recognition at an early age also ensures that newborns will be fed and cared for by their own mother, which satisfies some of the requirements for their survival and welfare. For all these reasons, any disruption of ewe-lamb bonding during parturition is detrimental to lamb welfare and survival.

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Do ewes recognize their lambs within the first day postpartum without the help of olfactory cues?

Cited by 43 publications

References 38 publications

Establishment of vocal communication and discrimination between ewes and their lamb in the first two days after parturition

Establishment of vocal communication and discrimination between ewes and their lamb in the first two days after parturition

Characterization of amniotic fluid of Dohne Merino ewes (Ovis aries) and its possible role in neonatal recognition

Sensory factors involved in mother-young bonding in sheep: a review

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