Wouldn’t it be lovely if animals could talk to each other? A Cornish farmer has believed for some time there was a clear difference between how calves and their mums communicated; this belief is true, as researchers have proved cows can talk to each other!
Researchers have been carrying out a detailed acoustic analysis which shows how calves and their mothers talk to each other.
The lead researcher Dr Mónica Padilla de la Torre said, “The research shows for the first time that mother-offspring cattle ‘calls’ are individualised. Each calf and cow have a characteristic and exclusive call of their own.”
When cows are close to their calves they talk to them using low frequency calls. When they are apart and cannot see each other the calls were louder and at a higher frequency.
So, remember, when you are next taking a child friendly cottage holiday in Cornwall look and listen to the cows so you can understand what they are saying.