The first sheep cloned in Australia has produced three healthy lambs at an early age, scientists said today.
Scientists at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) collected eggs from the cloned merino sheep, named Matilda, when the animal was about three months old.
The eggs were then matured and fertilised over six days before the embryos were deposited in host ewes, which gave birth to the lambs just after Christmas.
"We were able to produce lambs about nine months after Matilda was cloned. Normally a sheep needs to be 18 to 20 months of age before it can become pregnant, then another five months to give birth," said a scientist at SARDI.
The institute was the senior partner in the creation of Matilda as part of a scheme to produce multiple copies of rare sheep with outstanding genes.
It is anticipated that this technology will allow for the production of lambs with elite characteristics, which will be a valuable breeding tool for stud breeders. Scientists in Scotland cloned the world's first mammal, Dolly, in 1997.
Reuters