Media release

From: The Royal Society

• A stressful crowd - Even sheep like a snuggle after a stressful day. Researchers assessed social proximity between Merino ewes, finding sheep generally preferred to be close to familiar individuals but also developed preferences for individuals they shared a stressful experience with (e.g., trailer transport, individual restraint, herding by a dog, removing wool). This alignment with human social relationships may improve our understanding of how animals perceive conspecifics in relation to stressful environmental change. (Images available) Biology Letters

• A stressful crowd - Shared stressful experiences affect social proximity in Merino sheep

  Humans develop stronger relationship bonds when they share stressful experiences. In this study we looked at social proximity between individuals in small groups of sheep that had shared a stressful experience. Sheep generally preferred individuals that were familiar to them. However, across the study sheep developed a preference for the shared stress individuals, relative to proximity preferences for individuals they did not share stress with. Between-individual bonds may develop as a means of socially mediated stress buffering. These results align with human social relationships and increase our understanding of how animals perceive their conspecifics in relation to stressful environmental change.