All about the artiodactyls

The dictionary's definition

Any of several ruminant, even-toed, hoofed mammals of the family Bovidae. Wild species survive in the uplands of central and eastern Asia, North Africa, southern Europe and North America. The domesticated breeds are all classified as Ovis aries.

Various breeds of sheep are reared worldwide for meat, wool, milk, and cheese, and for rotation on arable land to maintain its fertility.

Domestic sheep are descended from wild sheep of the Neolithic Middle East. The dozens of different breeds known across the world were developed to suit different requirements and a range of geographical and climatic conditions. Sheep were probably domesticated about 11,000 years ago in what is now northern Iraq, and they are thought to have descended primarily from the mouflon, although recent evidence suggests that species such as the Asian mouflon contributed to some of the modern breeds. Over 50 breeds of sheep evolved in the UK, but only a small proportion are still in full commercial use. They are grouped into three principal categories.

1.  The hardy upland breeds, such as the Scottish Blackface and Welsh Mountain, are able to survive in a bleak, rugged environment.

2.  Lowland breeds include the shortwool varieties, such as the Down breeds of Hampshire and Suffolk, which are well adapted to thrive on the lush grassland of lowland areas. The Southdown, from which many of the shortwool varieties are descended, is known for its high quality mutton and fine wool.

3.  The longwool varieties, such as the Leicesters and Border Leicesters, were originally bred for their coarse, heavy fleeces, but are now crossed with hill-sheep flocks to produce fat lambs. In 1989 there were 41 million sheep in Britain, making Britain the main producer of lambs in Europe.

Diseases

The most serious disease to affect sheep is scrapie, which attacks the nervous system. Notifiable infectious diseases of sheep include anthrax, foot and mouth, and scab. For more info on diseases, click here. 

More about the different type of breeds

Fine wool breeds

Sheep bred for their fine wool account for nearly 50% of the world's sheep. They are characterised as having the capability of producing lots and lots of wool. They are generally found in in Australia, New Zealand, South America, and the western United States. Most fine wool sheep are of the rambouillet or merino breed, the latter of which many different subtypes have been developed. They are usually called <country name where they were from>merino, eg the New Zealand Merino.

Mutton sheep

This one should be self explanatory, but they are generally made up of medium- and long-wool breeds. They account for about 15% of the world's sheep. Breeds include Suffolk, Hampshire, Shropshire, Southdown, Dorset, Isle-de-France, Cheviot, Oxford, Leicester, Lincoln, Cotswold, and Romney Marsh.

Short tailed sheep

The northern short-tailed sheep, similar to the medium-wool type, are mainly found in Scandinavia. They account for about 3% of the world's sheep.

Fat tailed sheep

Well, there was a short tailed sheep - there had to be a fat tailed one, didn't there! Why the funny name? Well, they can store loads of fat in their tail, and rump. They're kept by people mostly for their milk, what - didn't know sheep produce milk? Yep they do. I haven't tasted any, but I have had some sheep cheese, and it was very nice. They account for about 25% of the world's sheep. They're not kept for their wool as it's coarse and long so it's used for making carpets. You can find these sheep in extremely arid regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The major breeds are the Awassi, Bakhtiari, Karakul, and Karamon.

Haired sheep

Domesticated sheep on the whole are much more woolly than their wild allies, but some breeds lack wool and are covered with hair. They are found primarily in tropical regions and are used primarily for meat. Among the breeds of this type are the Black-bellied Barbados, Blackhead Persian, and the Peliquey.

Poisonous Plants

 

[Information obtained from Encarta, to be found here, and from Lineone.net, to be found here. Apologies for any breach of copyright, please let me know if this has been caused.]

 © sheepnet - do not reproduce any pictures that have credits without permission