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ewe are so beautiful

london - Humans may not be the only creatures looking for an attractive date this Valentine's Day. A British report says that sheep prefer spending time with the "good-lookers" of their kind. For example, ewes keep an eye open for rams with "masculine" jaw muscles during the mating season.

Researchers hung different photos of sheep in front of gates and let test animals choose which ones to go through. They found there was a range of preferences. Sheep can distinguish up to 50 faces, and can remember faces for at least two years. Sheep did not open doors at random, they said, but always those with the photo they most liked.

All birds may be night owls

London - Researchers discovered birds can keep one eye open and half of their brain awake - called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep (USWS) - which lets them detect predators and still get some shut-eye. This is the first evidence that an animal can control sleep and wakefulness simultaneously, researchers say. Dolphins, seals, and manatees also use USWS, which lets them sleep and swim to the surface to breathe, but birds seem to be able to use it at will.