“Sheep must be attuned to their neighbours’ reactions to be able to flock like this. We are now using our approach to understand the breakdown of group behaviours that may occur when sheep are injured, ill, or have diseases. Having an understanding of normal behaviour means that changes in behaviour can be linked to the progress of neurological diseases such as Huntington’s disease,” says Professor Jenny Morton from the University of Cambridge, co-author of the study, published in Current Biology this week.
The findings support a 40-year-old idea put forward by evolutionary biologist Bill Hamilton. He suggested that creatures as different as insects, fish and cattle all react to danger by moving towards the middle of their respective swarms, schools or herds.
Image: Sheep with backpacks Credit: Jenny Morton
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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