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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
domestic
sheep |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Artiodactyla |
| FAMILY: |
Bovidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Ovis
aries |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Domestication
of O. aris occurred 9,000-11,000 years ago
and there have been more than 1,200 breeds developed
- primarily for their wool and meat. Coloration
varies from white to dark brown. Domestic sheep
that become feral may loose this thick coat and
develop a coat-type more similar to wild species.
The head is tapered to a pointed muzzle and many
breeds do not have horns. |
| MALE |
In
the breeds that possess horns, they are usually
larger in the males. |
|
| SIZE: |
Head/body
1,200-1,800 mm (47-71 in.); shoulder 650-1,270 mm
(25.6-50 in.) |
| MALE |
Males
usually larger than females |
|
| WEIGHT: |
Average
20-200 kg (44-441 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Primary
diet is grasses. Also eats hay and oats. |
|
| GESTATION: |
148
days |
| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
14-20
days; 17 day average |
| NURSING
DURATION |
Varies
by location and purpose for which the lambs are
being raised |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Maturity
is related more to weight than age. Is also affected
by breed, time of birth, and the level of feeding. |
| MALE |
Males
can become reproductively viable at 100-130 days
of age. |
| FEMALE |
5-7
months |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
Maximum
life span is 19-20 years |
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| RANGE: |
Worldwide
in association with humans |
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| HABITAT: |
Usually
housed in areas providing grazing |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
More
than 1 billion |
| REGIONAL |
China
- 157,330,000; Australia - 94,500,000; India - 62,500,000;
Iran - 54,000,000; Sudan - 47,000,000; New Zealand
- 40,065,000; United Kingdom - 35,500,000; South
Africa - 29,100,000; Turkey - 25,000,000; Pakistan
- 24,700,000; U.S. - 6,090,000. |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Sheep
were domesticated by 7500 B.C. |
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| 2. |
The morino and Ramouillet are the two primary breeds
of sheep used to produce fine wool. They make up
half of the worldwide domestic sheep population
and are bred extensively in Australia, New Zealand,
South America and the United States. |
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| 3. |
The medium and long wool breeds are bred primarily
for their meat. |
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| 4. |
Short
tail sheep breeds, primarily found in Scandinavia
have high reproduction rates. |
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| 5. |
Sheep
breeds developed for their milk production are primarily
the fat-tailed breeds, so called because of the
stored fat in their tails and rump area. |
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| 6. |
Some
breeds of sheep possess hair rather than wool. They
are raised in tropical areas primarily for their
meat. |
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| 7. |
Males
are called rams, females are called ewes, and young
of either sex are called lambs. |
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| In
some areas, domestic sheep have had a detrimental
effect on native wildlife because of competition
for foraging and spread of disease. In areas were
domestic sheep have become feral, extinction of
native species has occurred. |
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|
|
| Nowak,
R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth
edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,
1999. |
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| http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/ansci/sheep/as989-7.htm#Ram |
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| www.uwex,edu/ces/animalscience/
sheep/ETN_01/feb/EweLambs.doc |
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| http://medicine.ucsd.edu/cpa/sheep.html |
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| http://encarta.msn.com/text_761559678__0/Sheep.html |
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