<#000000>Sheep/lamb (domestic sheep)
<#868686>(Ovis gmelini aries)

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<#000000>Description

<#868686>The offspring of sheep are called lambs until they are 1 year old and are known as “suckling lambs” while they are still drinking their mothers' milk. Sheep have been providing humans with milk, wool and meat for thousands of years.

<#000000>Appearance
<#868686>The sheep is a horned mammal from the family Bovidae, which also includes cattle and antelopes. 
Modern domestic sheep are descended from wild sheep, which measure 4 feet 3 inches from snout to tail and are approximately 3 feet tall. The male weighs roughly 110 lbs and the female around 75 lbs. There are different classes of sheep: 
A “lamb” is up to 1 year old. 

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A wether is either a castrated (sterilized) male sheep or a female sheep that has not yet given birth to any lambs. 
A ewe is a female over 1 year old; this term generally refers to a "mother sheep". 
A ram is an uncastrated male over 1 year old. 

Many sheep have horns, which can be spiral-shaped, long and curly, or short and only slightly curved. The horns of females are much smaller than those of males and some breeds of sheep have no horns at all. 
The sheep's fleece can be spun to produce wool. If you touch a sheep, its fleece will feel greasy to the touch from the lanolin it produces to protect it in wet conditions. 

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<#000000>Origin
<#868686>Wild sheep originated in Hungary and spread throughout the Mediterranean region, although only a few hundred of these animals now remain, on the islands of Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy). Domestic sheep bred by humans can be found all over the world, with Australia, Argentina, and southwestern Africa having the largest sheep populations. Sheep farming is not particularly profitable in Europe, so relatively few flocks of sheep are kept there and roam from one pasture to another. 

<#000000>Habitat
<#868686>Sheep are not very selective when it comes to food and can therefore adapt to almost any habitat. 

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<#000000>Species and breeds
<#868686>The first domestic sheep were kept in Asia Minor approximately 9,000 years ago. 
The different breeds of sheep can be distinguished by their fleeces and the purpose for which they are used. There are between 500 and 600 different species of sheep: the White Alpine sheep, for example, is a pure white hornless sheep sometimes marked with small dark spots. German Heath sheep are particularly prevalent in northern Germany and both males and females have horns that curve backward. Their fleeces vary in color, ranging from silver-grey to dark grey, while the hair on their head and legs is short and black. They are farmed for both wool and meat. Skudden sheep are another example; these have a white, brown, black, or spotted fleece and are renowned for their fine wool. 

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<#000000>Behavior

<#000000>Habits
<#868686>Sheep are extremely gregarious animals and are happiest when amongst other sheep. There are no strict hierarchies within a flock, although the rams may only approach the ewes during the mating season. 
Rams fighting over a ewe clash horns repeatedly, although this rarely results in injury.
Sheep spend most of the day grazing and at night they sleep huddled together in the safety of the flock.
Sheep have very good eyesight and can spot predators from several hundred feet; their keen sense of smell also enables them to detect danger from a considerable distance. 

<#000000>Predators
<#868686>The sheep's enemies are wolves, lynxes, foxes and eagles.

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<#000000>Breeding habits
<#868686>Ewes over 2 years old can bear lambs every year. The mating season occurs in the fall and 5 months later the ewe gives birth to between 1 and 4 lambs. Shortly after birth, the lamb tries to stand up on its long, thin legs, the lamb obtains numerous important antibodies from its mother's milk. After a short while the lamb will follow its mother to the pasture.




<#000000>Ownership

<#000000>Diet
<#868686>Sheep are ruminants and regurgitate their food after they have swallowed it so that they can chew it again. They are not particularly fussy about their food and eat mainly grass.

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<#000000>Life expectancy
<#868686>A sheep's lifespan is generally between 10 and 12 years, although they may occasionally live for up to 20 years.

<#000000>Care
<#868686>There are several methods of sheep husbandry. 
In the transhumance system, the shepherd and the flock move from pasture to pasture. 
In the pasture grazing system, the sheep graze in a nearby field.
In the enclosed grazing system, the sheep graze in fenced pastures to protect them from predators.
Sheep generally spend the winter in sheds, where they are fed on hay and straw.