Nursing and suckling behaviour in the mouflon

Abstract

We analysed nursing and suckling behaviour in the mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) in a captive herd. The suckling frequency, average duration and success rate were found to decrease with lamb age, particularly during the first few weeks. After an initial increase, the frequency of unsuccessful suckle attempts remained virtually constant at significantly high levels for 2 months, after which it decreased until the end of the observation period. Suckling actions towards strange mothers were small in number and unsuccessful in every case. After the 2nd week, suckling was always terminated by the mother. Application of multivariate analysis revealed the occurrence of three distinct phases during lactation, namely: (1) 1–14 days, which ensured lamb survival; (2) 15–74 days, which marked the beginning of weaning and development of the mother-infant conflict; (3) 75–160 days, interpreted as a relaxation of the conflict though the final weaning was not reached.