The sheep (scientific name: ovis aries) it is a mammal gives family bovidae, of the order Artiodactyla. It is a four-legged, herbivorous and ruminant animal, bred for the production of milk, beef, there and leather.
The male of the ewe is called a ram and its offspring, a lamb. They are intelligent, able to recognize the other animals in their herd and even human faces. The ewe (female) is calm and docile, while the male can be more aggressive.
Are animals gregarious, that is, live in herds and have been domesticated by humans for thousands of years. There is evidence of its domestication about 11,000 years ago, where Iraq is located today.
A curiosity: the first mammal to be cloned in the world was a sheep. Dolly was born in 1996 and has become the most famous sheep in the world.
Sheep and lamb.
See also the meaning of cloning.
Sheep Characteristics
The sheep are, on average, 1.5 meters long, 1.3 meters tall and weigh between 45 and 160 kg. They are robust, covered in wool and their feet end in hooves, which gives them good movement.
Are animals smart, with great memory and can feel complex emotions and even create bonds of friendship.
food
the sheep are ruminants and your stomach is made up of four chambers: your digestive system is called the polygastric. feed on pasture and they can have their diet enriched with hay and cereals.
Life cycle
A sheep's gestation lasts 150 days. Each pregnancy usually generates a young, but it can reach up to three and breastfeeding takes place until the fourth or fifth month of life.
Between the fifth and tenth month, the female reaches puberty. In the case of males, this process can be anticipated - between the third and sixth month. The first reproduction of the female, however, will only happen after 8 months of life.
The breeding period of a sheep happens when the days are shorter, thus the birth happens during the spring, when weather conditions are more favorable for the survival of the Cub.
THE Life expectancy from a sheep is from 12 years average.
Habitat
The ancestor of the sheep, called Asian moufon, originates from the Middle East, but today sheep can be found on all continents of the planet due to their domestication and easy adaptation to different environments.
Learn more about mammal characteristics.
sheep farming
Sheep farming is the name given to sheep raising for the production of meat, wool, dairy and leather. Raising sheep is an economic and livelihood activity that has been important to man for thousands of years.
Currently, there are about 800 races of artificially selected sheep. Each breed is ideally destined for the production of some products. See some examples:
- Races for consumption: Hampshire, Columbia, Texel and Sulfolk.
- Breeds for wool production: Rambouillet, Romney, Merino, Herdwick and Lincoln.
- Breeds for wool consumption and production: Coopworth and Corriedale.
Difference between sheep and goat
Due to some similarities, the sheep and the goat can be confused. These two animals are from same family (bovidae), but from different species. The goat is of the species capra hircus and the sheep, of the species ovis aries.
While the male of the sheep is the ram, the male of the goat is the goat. The main difference between these two animals is that the goat has a beard and the ram does not.
Goat, the male of the goat.
The ram's horn is always curved, in a spiral shape, while the goat's horns can be straight or have a curved tip. In the case of females, some breeds of goat may have horns, sheep never.
Another very visible feature is the body. Sheep are covered in wool, while goats have finer, smoother fur.
The nomenclature of the Cub it also changes: in the first months of life the sheep are called lambs and the goats, goats.
See also the meaning of llama and donkey.
