Social personality in sheep: Can social strategies predict individual differences in cognitive abilities, morphology features and reproductive success?

Abstract Social personality can be key factor in evolution because of intra-individual consistency, heritable basis, and linkage with fitness. The aim of this study was to identify the existence of sheep personality profiles based on the use of social strategies and its associations on morphological, cognitive and reproductive success. Fifty adult ewes, housed indoor, were studied in terms of social and maintenance behavior, stress response, morphological variables and productive performance. In a second study, the cognitive abilities of the ewes were also analysed. A factor analysis was used to summarise the data of seven social behavioral variables. Agonistic and non-agonistic behaviors were grouped in classes. The factors were extracted using principal components. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to identify clusters or profiles. The results demonstrated the existence of four personalities (avoider, affiliative, aggressive and pragmatic), determined by social behavior and the index of success. The study addresses the multi-dimensionality of personality, showing that sheep personality comprises several social and non-social dimensions. The data confirm that the use of social strategies and the index of success are a useful tool to predict individual differences or personalities in a flock.