Larger Horns A Gamble For Young Soay Sheep

When it comes to winning mates, larger horns are an asset for male Soay sheep. But those that grow them may be putting their young lives on the line, according to a study published online on May 15th in Current Biology.

The new findings show that allocation of resources to horn growth can spell the sheep’s premature demise if the environment takes a turn for the worse.

“We find that large horns decrease males’ first-year survival when environmental conditions are poor,” said lead author Matthew Robinson of the University of Edinburgh. “Therefore, in an unpredictable environment, high allocation to early horn growth is a gamble, the pay-offs of which depend on the environmental conditions an individual encounters during its first year of life.”

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Tagged as: Horns, Mating, Reproduction, Sheep, Soay Sheep, University of Edinburgh