Do you speak cow? Researchers listen in on conversations between calves and their mothers

Researchers have been eavesdropping on 'conversations' between calves and their mothers — measuring the process of how cows communicate using detailed acoustic analysis for the first time. The team from The University of Nottingham and Queen Mary University of London, spent ten months studying to the ways cows communicate with their young, carefully examining acoustic indicators of identity and age. They identified two distinct maternal 'calls'. When cows were close to their calves, they communicated with them using low frequency calls. When they were separated — out of visual — their calls were louder and at a much higher frequency. Calves called out to their mothers when they wanted to start suckling. And all three types of calls were individualised — it was possible to identify each cow and calf using its calls.