Sheep vs. Goats: Who Are the Best Problem Solvers?
Published:22 Mar.2021 Source:Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
When it comes to adapting to new situations, goats are a step ahead. Compared to sheep, they can more quickly adapt to changing environmental conditions. These are the findings of a new study by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) which were published in Royal Society Open Science. The study investigated how well the animals were able to navigate around obstacles to reach food.
Sheep and goats have many things in common: They are closely related genetically, roughly the same size, have similar social structures, and have both been domesticated by humans over approximately the same amount of time. They do, however, differ greatly when it comes to their foraging strategies. "While sheep are grazers, goats are browsers and prefer buds and fresh shoots," explains Dr Camille Raoult from MLU who led the study together with Dr Christian Nawroth from FBN. The experiments were conducted at the Agroscope research centre in Switzerland, at Queen Mary University London (QMUL) and the Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats in Kent.