Sheep or domestic sheep, Ovis aries, are a domesticated ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. There were around 1.3 billion domestic sheep as of 2021, making them easily the most common species of sheep. An adult female is called a ewe, an intact male a ram, a castrated male a wether and a young sheep a lamb. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of western Asia, probably from populations in present-day Turkey and Iran, and they were one of the earliest animals domesticated for agricultural purposes.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Activity Pattern Connections
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: the same subject.
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Sheep (Wikipedia)Lead, where it livesQuote, Lead, where it lives
Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of western Asia, probably from populations in present-day Turkey and Iran.
Sources
1. Sheep (Wikipedia)
Lead
Sheep (pl.: sheep) or domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are a domesticated ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock.
Herbivory
Most breeds prefer to graze on grass and other short roughage, avoiding the taller woody parts of plants that goats readily consume.
Grazing behavior
Sheep follow a diurnal pattern of activity, feeding from dawn to dusk, stopping sporadically to rest and chew their cud.
Herbivory, threats
One complication with sheep husbandry is that sheep are substantially more vulnerable to copper toxicity than other livestock.
Teeth and lifespan
The life expectancy of a sheep is 10 to 12 years, though some sheep may live as long as 20 years.
Senses
In 10 sheep (Cambridge, Lleyn and Welsh Mountain breeds, which lack facial wool), the visual field ranged from 298° to 325°, averaging 313.1°, with binocular overlap ranging from 44.5° to 74°, averaging 61.7°.
Lead, where it lives
Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of western Asia, probably from populations in present-day Turkey and Iran.
View the SourceArtiodactyla (Wikipedia)
In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematicsQuote, In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematics
The bovids (Bovidae) are the most species-rich family.
Bovidae - Wikipedia
Child Taxon Of: Bovidae, LeadQuote, Child Taxon Of: Bovidae, Lead
Bovidae is the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, bison, buffalo, antelopes, and goat-antelopes such as sheep and goats.
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