SHEEP are smarter than we think.
University of Western Australia research has shown our woolly friends really don't deserve the bad rap they get about their intelligence.
In a bid to shake up sheep IQ prejudice, UWA and Kondinin group last week released a study which showed sheep had excellent visual memories and could remember up to 50 different sheep faces.
Ewes showed they had a great sense of smell, picking out their lamb from dozens of others. But the research also revealed a ewe could forget her lamb in as little as four hours if it dies, a trait that is essential for her survival.
University animal science Prof Graeme Martin said sheep had suffered a lot of negative press over intelligence when they actually did very well on smell and facial recognition.
"They have great facial recall, up there with people, because they need to remember who's a friend and who's a bully so they can avoid being beaten up," Prof Martin said.
He said the study began when researchers decided to look into things affecting the productivity of sheep production. "We looked at the relationship between the mother and the lamb and the impact of pheromones," he said.
"The ewe recognises her lamb by smell and will keep lambs that are not her own away from her udder. Pheromones also help the lamb locate its mum if it wanders off."
Prof Martin said ewes needed 24 hours of uninterrupted time with their lamb at the birth place to recognise these pheromones, making them less likely to forget or reject the lamb - "a major factor in livestock productivity".
