Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Sheep were among the very first animals people domesticated, around 11,000 to 9,000 BC in Mesopotamia, most likely from the wild Asiatic mouflon. Today there are about 1.2 billion of them worldwide, raised for wool, meat, and milk. In the United States, the black-faced Suffolk makes up about half of all purebred sheep.

Appearance

Appearance: Size varies hugely by breed: ewes usually weigh 100–220 lb (45–100 kg) and rams 100–350 lb (45–160 kg). Coats range from white to dark brown, sometimes spotted. Some breeds have no horns, some have horns in both sexes, and some only in rams.
Voice: Bleats to stay in touch, especially between ewes and lambs; also grunts, rumbles, and snorts.

Look-alikes

Domestic goatCapra hircus

A sheep's tail hangs down and it has no beard. A goat's tail points up, and goats usually have a beard. A sheep's upper lip is also split by a groove.

Why they get mixed upBoth are farm animals of similar size, and short-haired sheep breeds can look goatlike.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Farms
Pastures
Rangeland
Range: Kept as livestock around the world, including across the United States.

Behavior

Diet: Grazes on grass and other low plants and .
Social life: Strongly flocking; sheep tend to follow a leader.
Senses: Horizontal slit pupils give sheep a very wide field of view, about 270–320°, but poor depth perception. Their sense of smell is excellent.

Life cycle

Gestation: About 5 months
Litter size: Usually 1 or 2 lambs, sometimes triplets
Time to maturity: Ewes can breed at 6–8 months, rams at 4–6 months.
Lifespan: 10–12 years, occasionally up to 20

Name and classification

Varieties and forms: Most fine-wool breeds come from the Merino, which still dominates the world wool industry. Hair sheep grow no wool and never need shearing. The mouflon (O. a. musimon) is treated as a of the same species.