Cattle ingestive behavior is a complex process involving a series of steps including prehension, biting and shearing forage, bolus formation, swallowing and rumination. Each of these steps generates unique sound signatures that may vary depending upon forage species, availability, quality, animal age and genetics. We are using sound wave spectral analysis to study ruminant ingestive behavior. Four steers were fitted with solid-state halters containing microphones and discrete ultra-high-frequency (UHF) transmitters. Corresponding UHF receivers were mounted on digital video cameras to allow synchronized audio and video recording of grazing behavior. Grazing and ruminating cattle were recorded over a number of 30 minute up to 120 minute periods throughout the summer. Grazing events were classified by matching sound wave and video events from the tapes. The audio file was subjected to spectral analysis. The resultant spectrograms showed that prehensive biting events on a bluegrass/clover pasture could be separated from rumination or bolus-formation events. Prehensive bites were characterized in the spectrogram having frequencies peaking at 2000 Hz, whereas bolus formation and rumination events were at 100 – 400 Hz. These data suggest that sound analysis can be used to quantify and discriminate ingestive behaviors.
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