Why do sheep bleat

The domestic sheep (Latin: Ovis aries), which this article focuses on, is a domesticated form of sheep typically kept as livestock. It is an even-toed ungulate and a ruminant that provides people with wool, milk and, to a lesser extent, meat. As is well known, sheep make a characteristic sound that we call bleating or beeing. But why do sheep bleat?

Humans have begun to domesticate sheep at least since the 13th millennium BC The older domesticated animal is probably only the dog. However, the domestication of sheep was very slow. At first, wild herds were caught in a confined space, from which people always took one sheep at a time as needed. In a few thousand years, sheep began to be used for milk. Sheep, similar to today's domestic sheep, began to appear around the 3rd millennium BC.^[1]

In addition to bleating, the sheep also makes other sounds such as growling, grunting, rumbling and snorting. Sheep use bleating primarily to communicate with the lamb, but also between herds. This is because the bleat of every sheep is recognizable, so the lamb can easily find out where its mother is. In addition, sheep also bleat when they are under stress, frustration or when impatient. Sheep also bleat when torn from the herd, which implies the above. On the contrary, sheep that feel pain do not bleat.^[2]