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Domestic sheep

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Economic importance

 

Global Sheep and Lamb stocks
in 2005

(million head)

People's Republic of China People's Republic of China

170.9

Flag of Australia Australia

102.7

European Union (15 nation)

99.3

former Soviet Union

65.3

Flag of India India

62.5

Flag of Iran Iran

54.0

Flag of Sudan Sudan

49.0

Flag of New Zealand New Zealand

39.9

Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom

35.3

Flag of South Africa South Africa

25.3

World Total

1079.0

Source:
UN Food & Agriculture Organisation
(FAO)
[1]


Raising sheep was and is important to farmers in many economies, given that sheep can give milk (and its derivative products, such as cheese), wool, sheepskin (used for making clothes, footwear, rugs, and other coverings) and meat. In the 21st century, sheep retain considerable importance in the economies of several countries. After China, the largest producers of sheep products are in the southern hemisphere: Australia, New Zealand and the Patagonian regions of Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. Other countries, such as Wales, produce a smaller proportion of the world market, but sheep nonetheless play an important role in their economy. In some places, like Sardinia, sheep-breeding has become the principal and characteristic activity.

In the UK, the importance of the wool trade was so significant that in the upper chamber of parliament (the House of Lords), the Lord Chancellor sits on a bench known as the Woolsack. This is, as its name suggests, a sack of wool and confers the importance of the wool trade to the English economy at the time of its installation many centuries ago.

The economic importance of sheep in much of the United States has declined as it has become, in some cases, economically unviable to ranch sheep for wool.[2] Texas has by far the most sheep of any state,[3] but now has only about one-tenth[4] of the almost 11 million sheep it had in the 1940s.[5]

In the 21st century, in some situations, sheep can provide a return on investment of up to 400% of their cost annually (including reproduction gains). Sheep breeding has played a role in several historic conflicts, such as the Scottish Highland Clearances, the American range wars, and the English "enclosing of the commons".

Domestication

Grazing sheep

Grazing sheep

Domestic sheep are descended from the mouflon that is found from the mountains of Turkey to southern Iran. Evidence for domestication dates to 9000 BCE in Iraq.[6] It has been found by DNA analysis to be one of two ancestors of domestic sheep. Although the second ancestor has not been identified, both the urial and argali have been ruled out.[7] The urial (O. vignei) is found from northeastern Iran to northwestern India. It has a higher number of chromosomes (58) than domestic sheep (54) which makes it an unlikely ancestor of the latter, but it interbreeds with the mouflon. The argali sheep (O. ammon) of inner Asia (Tibet, Himalayas, Altay Mountains, Tien-Shan and Pamir) has 56 chromosomes and the Siberian snow sheep (Ovis nivicola) has 52 chromosomes.

Evidence of early domesticated sheep have been found in PPNB Jericho and Zawi Chemi Shanidar. The fleece-bearing sheep are only found since the Bronze Age. Primitive breeds, like the Scottish Soay sheep have to be plucked (a process called rooing), instead of sheared, as the kemps are still longer than the soft fleece, or the fleece must be collected from the field after it falls out. The European mouflon (O. musimon) found on Corsica and Sardinia as well as the Cretan and the extinct Cypriot wild sheep are possibly descended from early domestic sheep that turned feral.

Cuisine

Chefs and diners commonly know sheep meat prepared for food as lamb or mutton (compare the French word for "sheep": mouton).

Ewes' milk is used in the production of cheese and yogurt in many upland parts of the world. Well known sheep milk cheeses include the Roquefort of France, the brocciu of Corsica, the pecorino of Italy and the feta cheese of Greece. See Category:Sheep's-milk cheeses. Sheep milk contains lactose, and may trigger lactose intolerance in humans.[2]

Sheep testicles, sometimes euphemistically called prairie oysters[citation needed], are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world.

Behaviour

A flock of sheep grazing in Montana, United States.

A flock of sheep grazing in Montana, United States.

Some breeds of sheep exhibit a strong flocking behaviour. Flocking behaviour is advantageous to non-predatory animals; the strongest animals fight their way to the center of the flock[dubious — see talk page] which offers them great protection from predators. It can be disadvantageous when food sources are limited and sheep are almost as prone to overgrazing a pasture as goats. In Iceland, where sheep have no natural predators, and grasses grow slowly, none of the various breeds of sheep exhibit a strong flocking behaviour[citation needed].

Sheep flocking behaviour is so prevalent in some English breeds that special names apply to the different roles sheep play in a flock. One calls a sheep that roams furthest away from the others an outlier, this sheep ventures further away from the safety of the flock to graze, due to a larger flight zone or a weakness that prevents it from obtaining enough forage when with the flock, while taking a chance that a predator, such as a wolf, will attack it first because of its isolation.

Sheep mating, called tupping.

Sheep mating, called tupping.

Another sheep, the bellwether, which never goes first but always follows an outlier[citation needed], signals to the others that they may follow in safety. When it moves, the others will also move. Traditionally this was a castrated ram (or wether) with a bell hung off a string around its neck[citation needed]. The tendency to act as an outlier, bellwether or to fight for the middle of the flock stays with sheep throughout their adulthood; that is unless they have a scary experience which causes them to increase their flight zone[citation needed].

According to a spokesperson of the British National Sheep Association, "Sheep are quite intelligent creatures and have more brainpower than people are willing to give them credit for."[8] For example, sheep in Yorkshire, England found a way to get over cattle grids by rolling on their backs. A study published in National Geographic (December 8) showed a sheep can remember the faces of fifty other sheep for over two years.

Sheep can become hefted to one particular pasture so they do not roam far from home. Since the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom, transplanted sheep have had to be trained to stay in their grazing area.[9]

Anatomy

Lambs of some breeds are born with long tails which are cut off once they reach a certain age.

Lambs of some breeds are born with long tails which are cut off once they reach a certain age.

Sheep have horizontal slit shaped pupils. The narrower the pupil, the more accurate the depth perception of peripheral vision is; so narrowing it in one direction would increase depth perception in that plane [3][4]. Animals like goats and sheep may have evolved horizontal pupils because better vision in the vertical plane may be beneficial in mountainous environments[5].

Glossary

This is a glossary of terms that relate to sheep and domestic sheep. Note that some terms have localised meanings, and may be used only in one geographical region, or may mean slightly different things in different areas.

Two lambs feeding from the milk from their mother.

Two lambs feeding from the milk from their mother.

 

 

 

Wikipedia

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Domestic_sheep&action=history

 

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