The Genius of Sheep: LMAC #12
This is my entry into @shaka's #letsmakeacollage (LMAC) contest, #12. The image that inspired my GIF (@shaka's photo) is shown here:
The first thing that struck me about @shaka's photo was the peaceful atmosphere, and vulnerability of the sheep. There they were, out in the open, unsheltered. How do such passive animals survive in a dangerous world? I figured it out: they have us trained.
When you think about it, as a species sheep are brilliant. They are spectacularly successful. For example: there are more sheep today in Wales, and some other countries, than there are people. What is the secret to this species' success? How have they managed to train humans so that we insure they are fed, protected, and are able to procreate? The secret is in their utility.
Domestication of Sheep
Sheep began training us about 10,000 years ago. At least that's what archeologists studying ancient ruins in Turkey surmise. The transition from hunting wild sheep to herding them must have come when humans realized this modestly-sized animal was not aggressive, yielded milk, provided skins and ultimately was a source of meat.
What's not to love?
Archeological Site, Aşıklı Höyük, Turkey
Reconstructed homes at the archeological site, Aşıklı Höyük. Bones discovered here indicate that a transition was made from hunting wild sheep to herding sheep. This determination was made by the change in the percentage of sheep bones found (about 90% of the animal remains eventually) and by the size of the bones. Wild sheep have larger bones than domesticated sheep.
Natural Defenses of Sheep
Basically, sheep are defenseless. Besides flocking together and using their acute senses to detect predators, there's not much they can do to defend themselves. So of course they employ humans to fulfill this very critical function. And humans enlist dogs.
It is believed the first dogs used by sheep herders were guard dogs, as is the case with the fierce dog in my collage. These working dogs, no doubt, were at least partly rewarded with meat scraps after humans had slaughtered the carefully guarded sheep.
So you see, dog and human behavior were essentially molded by the unmovable passivity of the sheep. The genius of this species!
Sheep Demonstrate Flocking Behavior When Stressed
In this picture, a border collie is in training. The sheep are instinctively threatened by dogs, which are natural predators, so the sheep flock together tightly when herded by the collie. This is the principle upon which sheep herding by dogs operates.
Dumb, Like Sheep
George Washington once referred to sheep with disparagement. He declared, in advocating for the right to free speech for humans, that if this liberty were taken away from citizens ".. dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter".
Sheep, dumb? Not so much. It is true that to humans, sheep vocalizations are indecipherable gibberish. But sheep do communicate verbally. Research in this field is obviously limited by a language barrier(!), but animal behaviorists report that sheep communicate with each other through very specific, modulated bleats. They also use exquisitely calibrated facial expressions and ear movements to "talk".
Sheep Intelligence
Facial Recognition
It seems sheep have been given a bad rap when it comes to intelligence. This misunderstanding may be part of the sheep's plan, to keep us docile. However, recent research has poked holes in the misconception about sheep intelligence.
Surprising truths about sheep cognition (yes! cognition) have been discovered. For example, sheep have demonstrated the ability to recognize faces--not just sheep faces, but human faces. As a matter of fact, the level of their facial recognition skills has been matched in previous studies by no other animal--except humans.. This rather amazing bit of information was revealed in a Journal published by the Royal Society
Some Really Adorable Sheep, Probably Plotting to Take Over the World
A flock of cross-bred sheep, Suffolk and North Country Mule.
Maze Navigation
Sheep have excellent spatial intelligence and are good at navigating mazes. In tests, the mazes used to challenge the sheep were similar to those used in mice and rat studies. Not only did the sheep do well, but they demonstrated the ability to improve their performance. In other words... sheep learn. And the skills they learn can be retained for a period of at least six weeks. This bit of reputation-enhancing information about sheep was revealed by an animal research scientist working out of Australia, Dr. Caroline Lee.
Leader Sheep
I'll finish my brief introduction to the genius of sheep with a video link.
Icelandic leader sheep may be the smartest sheep on earth. Imported to Iceland by the Vikings, the sheep have learned to live in Iceland's rugged environment. They demonstrate behavior not found in sheep anywhere else on earth. Icelandic leader sheep are brave, independent and, most essential for their survival, seem to be able to foresee changes in weather.
About My Collage
In my collage, I wanted to illustrate the vulnerability of sheep. It is obvious in the first picture, @shaka's, that the sheep do not feel threatened. They're grazing in loose formation.
If they felt threatened, they would be clinging together in a flock.
Danger in my collage is represented not only by wolves, but also by lightning. This is not merely symbolic--it's an actual danger grazing sheep face. While a plane is said to easily withstand a lightning strike, sheep do not. One incident last year in Kentucky (USA) demonstrated this, when thirty-one sheep were killed by lightning in the course of a storm (I believe by a single lightning bolt).
I used an image from Pixabay for the sky and lightning background (photo credit skeeze) to replace the peaceful backdrop in @shaka's original. Then I went over to GIMP and added flash to the lightning.
The dog, wolves and airplane were courtesy of Paint 3D.
My final step was to head over the GIMP again, this time to make a GIF. But there was one catch: when I went to submit my collage to the contest, I saw that @muelli had submitted a spectacular picture that featured a wolf in sheep's clothing. The wolf theme, used already! So I returned to the drawing board and added a couple of concluding frames. These frames changed the 'story' of the collage quite a bit, from a scene in which wolves threatened sheep to one in which a dog chases the wolves away--freeing the sheep from danger. I timed this chase with the escape of the plane from the storm.
The new version of my collage was actually better than the original. I'm glad @muelli acted first.
You can find @muelli's collage, and other really creative pieces, on @shaka's LMAC blog. There's still time if you want to join in. All you need is an idea and enthusiasm.
A Few Resources I Consulted While Writing this Post, in Case You Want to Know More About Sheep 😁
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/04/how-sheep-became-livestock
http://www.animalbehaviour.net/for-kids/farm-animals/sheep/
http://www.bordercolliemuseum.org/EarlyHistory/EarlyHistory.html
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2017.00188/full
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.171228
https://freshscience.org.au/2005/sheep-smarter-than-we-think
https://www.wkrn.com/news/31-sheep-killed-by-lightning-strike-at-kentucky-farm/1126850615
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-happens-when-lightni/
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=YmP_f9-0Y7E
https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/regina/the-study-centre-on-leader-wethers
Nice pix and article. Something different this time. Like it! By the way sheeps are sometimes creepy for instance when they try to mate with you.
Maaaeeeehhh
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🐏 🐏 Watch out for those sheep 😁
(Thank you!)
You've got my vote! Nice read and amazing collage!
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Thank you!! 🙂
So many good ones this week... every week
My goodness! The lightning strike looks so real and threatening which goes perfectly with the wolf. Your talent to create is "striking." And I learned so much about sheep and had no idea how smart they are. Wonderful work on the collage, as usual : )
You're kind to me! I spend way too much time on these collages, but my skills are poor and it takes great effort to even approximate what I see in my head. If I achieve that goal, even nearly, it's because I'm stubborn. Never, ever give up.
The sheep really caught my imagination. Plus I love them. There's more research I'm looking into involving sheep. I see another blog coming, a truly science blog.
I'll be back, visiting your beautiful nature blog. Don't go there often enough.
Oh, I wish I had your imagination. That is something I am lacking big time. Being stubborn can be a good thing, at least in your case with the collages. LOL! I am looking forward to your second sheep blog. : )
Wonderful!
Thank you for this enlightenment about sheep and their intelligence. Your background research is always the cream on the ice. Herd animals are fascinating to watch for us humans. Maybe because we are herd creatures, too. While there seems to be no change in leadership with sheep, there is always only one leading sheep, it is a little different with us humans, isn't it? The one who has the appropriate ability and experience for the situation takes the lead. Whoever descends a torrential river needs an experienced river guide who in turn follows someone experienced, the expert engineer with whom one enters a technical facility, etc.
I don't think there really is any stupidity among animals, because they have adapted over the course of evolution and do what they do because it makes sense.
However, the way in which animals are kept in large numbers is something that, if you think about it, makes it impossible for the animals to act and make decisions of their own and could lead to stultification if you do so over a relevant period of time, in other words: the animals do not follow their natural instincts and, for example, starve to death when raised and fed by humans.
I watched the video at the end and like the way the Icelandic woman talks about sheep. She has a certain admiration for this particular type of sheep. How nice that there are such places and such people!
Your collage is an eye-catcher and I especially found the plane a good idea! It doesn't fit into the scenery at all and that's why I like it.
Dear Erika, thanks for coming by. You know these little art projects delight me. Even when I'm not feeling well, they offer relief. You do the same with origami, I think. I notice a great variety in skill level in the contest, so I'm not embarrassed to put mine up. Plus, I work on the blog, so at least my effort is sincere.
Yes, the sheep are fascinating. I've been reading up on them some more since I finished the blog.
One of the things you and I have in common is a respect for animals and their right to dignity. We don't underestimate their sentience, or value as beings. That's just something you can't get beyond once you see it.
I'm looking forward to your next blog. Have a wonderful Sunday.
Thank you. Another Tuesday already arrived. :)
I will go and have a look at the other collages.
This is excellent. The genius in sheep lies in their ability to make humans think they are dumb. Beautiful!
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Exactly!
Congratulation to your collage! I like it and your words explaining your ideas of creating a "story" for the picture. Thank you for the many informations about sheep and their life! It is a typical agmoore post ;-) many many many details. Regards Kadna
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Scold me 😇. I can't help myself. Thank you for reading and appreciating. I do have fun on Steemit. And I love it when you stop by.
Thank you, it's my pleasure and same to you!