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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.
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. The female, or ewe is the smaller sex by a considerable margin, sometimes weighing less than half as much as the male, or ram .
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.
The Altai argali (Ovis ammon ammon) is the nominate (predominant) subspecies of argali, a large-horned wild sheep endemic to the highlands of the Altai Mountains of Central Asia. Altai argali are the largest sheep in the world, and also have some of the heaviest and most elaborate horns.
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 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]
It is the largest wild sheep species in the world, standing nearly four feet tall, weighing nearly 300 pounds, and growing massive horns that can be as long as 6 feet and weigh upwards of 60 pounds.
The Armenian mouflon was first described in 1840 by Edward Blyth, who equated it with the "Orientalische Schaaf" (Oriental sheep) described by Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin in 1774. [3] [4] [5] It is known as the Armenian mouflon in both Armenian: հայկական մուֆլոն, haykakan muflon and Persian: قوچ ارمنی, Qutch-e armani. [6]