Learning to suckle from an artificial teat within groups of lambs: Influence of a knowledgeable partner

Abstract

This work was aimed at finding evidence of observational learning in sheep. The task to be learned was that of suckling milk from a bucket provided with teats. Lambs were reared in groups of either four neonates and an older lamb accustomed to artificial suckling (14 experimental lambs) or five neonates (16 controls). One-hour observations were made five times a day. The lambs that learned were grouped and observed for three hours once a week. All experimental lambs learned within three days as compared to nine for the 16 controls. Experimental lambs moved and sniffed or sucked the bucket more often than the controls (2.0 ± 1.5 vs. 1.5 ± 1.0% time spent moving, 7.1 ± 6.2 vs. 1.6 ± 1.8 sniffing/hour, 3.7 ± 3.6 vs. 1.7 ± 1.7% time spent sucking, P < 0.05). The time to first suckling was not related to these measurements, neither was it related to other behavioural traits. Learning to suckle from the teat-bucket may be a socially transmitted phenomenon, and not only by enhancement of investigation.