Sheep were domesticated by humans around 10,000 years ago. They were among the first animals domesticated.

Raising sheep is the oldest organized industry. Sheep have fluffy wool and a long face. Some sheeps wool is black and white. Most sheep dont have horns. Sheep have small eyes and sheep have small legs. Some sheep have pointy ears. Sheep dont have teeth in their upper front jaw. They just have bottom teeth. They have 32 teeth. Sheep like eating grass and drinking water. Sheep are born with long tails. Some producers dock their tails shortly after they are born. Sheep are hardy animals, and can survive in tough climates, like when it is very cold, very hot, or very dry. Sheep are gregarious animals. Gregarious means that they flock together or like to be with a group. Sheep are social animals, but the most important reason they like to flock together is for protection. Sheep are timid, nervous and easily frightened animals and for the most part defenseless against predators. Their only means of survival is to flock together in large numbers and to run away from predators. For this reason, dogs are used to move sheep around. Sheep will consider the dog as a predator, flock together for protection and move away from the danger. Sheep usually give birth once a year and have 1-3 lambs. They normally live to be about 8 years old, but can sometimes live to be as old as 20. Sheep are ruminants. Sheep spend about a third of their life ruminating and need peace and quiet. Sheep have poor eyesight. For this reason, sheep will avoid shadows or harsh contrasts between light and dark. They will move towards the light. But sheep have an excellent sense of hearing. They are more sensitive to high frequency noise than people and get scared by loud noises. Sheep are multi-purpose. Sheep were first used for meat, skins, milk and wool. Today they are still raised for these purposes plus many more. Wool that comes directly from the sheep is called raw wool. Raw wool may go through 70 processing steps to make sure it is the highest quality. Lamb meat is an exceptional source of vitamins and minerals. Sheep milk is often used to make cheese. Sheeps milk is ideal for the cheese-making process because it contains higher levels of fat, protein, and calcium than milk from goats and cows. The fat from sheep can be used to make soap and candles. One pound of wool can make ten miles of yarn. Sheep are raised mostly for meat.The meat from a young sheep (< 1 year) is called lamb.The meat from an older sheep (> 1 year) is called mutton. Sheep are raised for dairy (milk).Most sheep milk is made into cheese.Sheep milk have many healthful qualities.People that are lactose intolerant can often drink sheep milk. Sheep are used as research models and to produce medical products.Dissecting a sheep heart.Sheep blood is a common culture media. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science. Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.

Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus: Species:

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Artiodactyla Bovidae Ovis Aries

Animal Vertabrae (has spinal cord) Mammal (nurses young) Hoofed animal Hollow horns Sheep Domestic sheep