The Amazing Communication Between Animals

The Amazing Communication Between Animals
In nature, it is vital for the survival of species that mothers can find their offspring and offspring can find their mothers among thousands of animals. This is not just a recognition process based on physical appearance; many biological and chemical mechanisms support this process. In this blog post, we will examine how mothers and offspring find each other and the biological and chemical basis of this process.

Chemical Communication and Pheromones
Many animal species communicate through chemical signals and pheromones. Pheromones are chemical substances found in the body secretions of an animal that produce a behavioural or physiological effect on other individuals of the same species. The mother's body odour or pheromones are familiar and reassuring to the offspring. Offspring learn and follow these chemical trails immediately after birth. In the same way, mothers recognise and are attracted to the smell of their offspring. For example, sheep lick their young clean immediately after birth and in the process memorise the odour of the young.

Voice Recognition and Acoustic Communication
Sounds also play an important role in animals recognising each other. Shortly after birth, each calf develops a distinctive vocal tone. The mother's ear recognises this tone in preference to thousands of other sounds. In the same way, the cub can distinguish the mother's voice from the others. For example, animals that live in colonies, such as sea lions and penguins, recognise their cubs and mates by their voices. Sheep also use this method; a sheep mother can distinguish the ‘bleating’ sound of her offspring from others and find it through this sound.

Visual Recognition and Physical Cues
Many mammal and bird species can recognise their young based on visual cues. Animals can recognise by means of obvious visible signs, fur colour, patterns or physical characteristics. However, this recognition process is often more complex and is used in combination with other sensory cues. For example, sheep often combine visual recognition with sound and smell. The coat colour or patterns of the baby sheep can be visually recognised by its mother.

Maternal Brain Functions and Hormonal Responses
There are specific regions in the mother's brain that are active in the process of recognising her offspring. Brain regions such as the hypothalamus and amygdala play a critical role in emotional attachment and recognition processes. In addition, the hormone oxytocin, which is released immediately after birth, strengthens the mother's attachment to her offspring and accelerates the recognition process. This hormone works in a similar way in both mammals and birds. For example, in sheep, oxytocin secretion increases attachment and recognition during and after birth.

Learning and Memory: Strengthening Recognition
The bond between mother and cub grows stronger over time through learning and memory. As the cubs grow, they learn and remember their mother's smell, voice and other cues better. The mother's ability to recognise her offspring also becomes sharper over time. This learning process is a critical adaptation mechanism for many animal species. Sheep maximise this recognition process in the first few days after birth, during which time the mother-offspring bond is strengthened.

Mother-offspring recognition in sheep
Sheep are a great example of how mothers can find their young among thousands of sheep. Sheep lick their young clean immediately after birth and in the process memorise the smell of their young. At the same time, baby ewes quickly learn their mother's scent and voice. In a sheep flock, even though many offspring and mothers are mixed together, sheep mothers only recognise and react to their own offspring.

A sheep mother can distinguish the smell of her offspring from other offspring and can find it on the basis of this smell. At the same time, the ewe calf can also distinguish its mother's ‘bleating’ from that of other ewes and is attracted to her by this sound. In this process, many factors such as pheromones, the hormone oxytocin, vocal recognition and visual cues work together to enable mother and offspring to find each other.