REVIEW article
Front. Ecol. Evol.
Sec. Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fevo.2025.1616502
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Influence of Lunar Phases on Activity Patterns of MammalsView all articles
Shedding light on the moon's influence in the reproductive activity of farm animals
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
- 2Bandfield Pet Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- 3Private Practice, Barcelona, Balearic Islands, Spain
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The idea that the Moon influences biological rhythms has long been part of traditional knowledge, and recent scientific evidence increasingly supports its role in regulating animal behavior and physiology. This review aims to assess the influence of the lunar cycle on reproductive activity in farm animals. A total of 40 studies were analyzed, encompassing nine species of agricultural importance, including one study that evaluated four species. The findings reveal that lunar phases can affect ovulation, estrus expression, fertilization, conception rates, embryo development, parturition timing, and semen quality. These effects have been reported in both natural and assisted reproductive settings, including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and in vitro embryo production. Although the strength and direction of lunar influences vary across species and studies, recurring patterns, particularly around the new and full moon phases, suggest that lunar rhythms may modulate reproductive physiology. This review highlights the potential role of the pineal gland and melatonin secretion as mediators of electromagnetic fluctuations associated with the lunar cycle. These subtle environmental cues may influence reproductive functions through neuroendocrine pathways. In conclusion, growing scientific interest in this topic reflects its potential significance in animal biology. Further interdisciplinary research is needed to clarify the physiological mechanisms involved and to explore the practical implications of lunar modulation of reproductive activity in livestock production systems. responding to lunar phases, suggest that they may have been inspired by genuine biological patterns (Ritter and Tessmar-Raible, 2024).The moon's influence on living organisms is well documented (reviewed by Zimecki, 2006;Ikegami et al., 2014;Andreatta and Tessmar-Raible, 2020), with its effects most pronounced in marine species. However, research has also demonstrated lunar-driven effects in freshwater fish (
Keywords: Lunar cycle, Reproduction, Cattle, Goat, Sheep, pig, horse, guinea pig
Received: 23 Apr 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Perea, Perea, Perea and Méndez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Fernando P Perea, University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
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