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Four breeds of sheep, in the illustrated encyclopedia Meyers Konversationslexikon. This is a list of breeds of domestic sheep. Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are partially derived from mouflon (Ovis gmelini) stock, and have diverged sufficiently to be considered a different species. Some sheep breeds have a hair coat and are known as haired sheep.
Ovis is a genus of mammals, part of the Caprinae subfamily of the ruminant family Bovidae. [1] Its seven highly sociable species are known as sheep or ovines. Domestic sheep are members of the genus, and are thought to be descended from the wild mouflon of central and southwest Asia.
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The exact line of descent from wild ancestors to domestic sheep is unclear. [2] The most common hypothesis states that Ovis aries is descended from the Asiatic (O. gmelini) species of mouflon; the European mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) is a direct descendant of this population. [3]
Ovis gmelini was the scientific name proposed by Edward Blyth in 1841 for wild sheep in the Middle East. [4] In the 19th and 20th centuries, several wild sheep were described that are considered mouflon subspecies today: [5] Ovis ophion by Blyth in 1841 for wild sheep in Cyprus; [4]
The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) [6] is a species of sheep native to North America. [7] It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to 14 kg (30 lb); [8] the sheep typically weigh up to 143 kg (315 lb). [9] Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: O. c. sierrae.
The name 'argali' is the Mongolian word for wild sheep. [2] It is the largest species of wild sheep. Argali stand 85 to 135 cm (3 to 4 ft) high at the shoulder and measure 136 to 200 cm (4 to 7 ft) long from the head to the base of the tail.
One species, the scimitar oryx, was once extinct in the wild, though populations are now recovering. The bluebuck went extinct in the last 200 years, and the aurochs went extinct 400 years ago. A third extinct species, the red gazelle , potentially never existed, [ 2 ] and the kouprey is potentially extinct, with no sightings since 1969.