Sheep

Sheep Facts

Sheep Terminology:

• A female sheep is called an ewe.

• Adult male sheep are known as rams.

• Castrated adult male sheep are known as wethers.

• A baby sheep is called a lamb.

Sheep Breeds:

• There are more than 50 recognized breeds of sheep in the United States.

• There are over 1000 breeds of sheep, some with unique characteristics.

Reproduction and Lifespan:

• Gestation for a sheep is about 5 months.

• Life expectancy for a sheep is 10 to 12 years.

Sheep Characteristics:

• Sheep are commonly kept for their wool.

• Shearing is the equivalent of a haircut to a sheep. Sheep are usually sheared once or twice each year.

• Sheep have a field of vision of around 300 degrees.

• Sheep are herbivores that eat vegetation such as grass.

• The digestive system of sheep features four chambers.

• Sheep like to stay close to others in a herd.

• Sheep have an excellent sense of smell.

• Sheep communicate through smell and vocalizations, often called bleating.

• A mom sheep (Dam) can recognize the sound of her lambs' bleat.

• Sheep can recognize up to 50 sheep faces and remember them for two years.

• Sheep are highly social animals forming strong bonds with specific members of their flock.

Sheep Population and History:

• There are over 1 billion sheep in the world.

• China has the largest number of sheep in the world.

• In 1996, a sheep named Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from a somatic cell.

Sheep Adaptations and Behaviors:

• Some sheep breeds can grow up to 6 horns, while others have no horns.

• Some sheep breeds have silky hair.

• Some sheep breeds produce about 20lbs of wool per sheep per year.

• Sheep use plants and other substances to treat disease and teach their young to do the same.