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In Cows and Cattle
Why do cows moo?
Cows need some form of verbal communication if and when body language is not enough to get their point across, or if they have to communicate over a long distance. Their sense… of language isn't adapted as ours is, and their tongue is not shaped the way a human's tongue is. The shape of their tongue and vocal chords prevents them from doing much more than make the sound they make. And cows don't actually say "moo". It is just that our own language is limited, and that is the best approximation that people can come up with. A cow's moo can vary in pitch and frequency much like a human's voice would when talking. However these variances are much more subtle than what we can catch when someone is talking to us. A cow will call if she's panicking and looking for her calf or alerting the herd to a certain threat, or give a sound to sooth her calf if it is nervous about something. Cows will also call if or when they're hungry, when they're looking for a mate, or even trying to locate the rest of the herd. Bulls will "moo" when trying to impress females, challenge another bull, or even utter a threat to someone who he thinks is another bull trying to get his prized herd away from him. The reasons for cows "mooing" is endless; you just need to study a cow herd long enough to know what certain calls are used for and why. ( Full Answer )