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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.
Female sheep are called ewes, males are called rams or less frequently bucks or tups, neutered males are called wethers, and young sheep are called lambs. The adjective applying to sheep is ovine, and the collective term for sheep is flock or mob. The term herd is also occasionally used in this sense, generally for large flocks.
The female sheep have small, tan horns and the male sheep have larger horns that become more twisted as they age. The wool of Dall's sheep is almost pure white. [5] The sheep's horns grow fastest in warm weather and slowest in cold weather. This puts rings in the horns called annuli. The number of rings shows how old the sheep is. [3]
Counting sheep is popularly said to be an aid to sleep, and some ancient systems of counting sheep persist today. Sheep also enter in colloquial sayings and idiom frequently with such phrases as "black sheep". To call an individual a black sheep implies that they are an odd or disreputable member of a group. [172]
Sheep have a breeding season (tupping) in the autumn, though some can breed year-round. [1] As a result of the influence of humans on sheep breeding, ewes often produce multiple lambs. This increase in lamb births, both in number and birth weight, may cause problems with delivery and lamb survival, requiring the intervention of shepherds. [2]
A young ram Two rams and two ewes Female mouflon with young immediately after birth Mouflon from Brehms Tierleben Mouflon ram Mouflon rams in the Eifel Park, Gondorf Few of the mouflon living at Thomayer Hospital in Prague. The European mouflon is a feral subspecies of the primitive domestic sheep. It is found in Europe and western Asia.
Dolly Dolly (taxidermy) Other name(s) 6LLS (code name) Species Domestic sheep (Finn-Dorset) Sex Female Born (1996-07-05) 5 July 1996 Roslin Institute, Midlothian, Scotland Died 14 February 2003 (2003-02-14) (aged 6) Roslin Institute, Midlothian, Scotland Cause of death Euthanasia Resting place National Museum of Scotland (remains on display) Nation from United Kingdom (Scotland) Known for ...
Skeleton of a Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) on display at the Museum of OsteologyAlthough most goat-antelopes are gregarious and have fairly stocky builds, they diverge in many other ways – the muskox (Ovibos moschatus) is adapted to the extreme cold of the tundra; the mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) of North America is specialised for very rugged terrain; the urial (Ovis orientalis ...