Early evidence of sheep lambing de-seasoning in the Western Mediterranean in the sixth millennium BCE.

ABSTRACT: Today, sheep farmers in the Western Mediterranean de-season their ewes to achieve autumnal births. This strategy contrasts sharply with spring lambing further north, and provides benefits in terms of out-of-season availability of animal products. These competences are closely linked to specific sheep physiology and favorable Western Mediterranean climatic conditions. It is not known exactly how far back in the past the ability to de-season Mediterranean sheep breeds extends. This study shows that this practice existed seven millennia ago in Southern France, at an early stage of the major agricultural expansion of the Neolithic into the Western Mediterranean. To achieve this reproductive management regime, three prerequisites were required: (i) the ability of sheep to give birth in autumn,

SUBMITTER: Tornero C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7393119 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature