Domesticated ruminants kept for wool, meat and milk, most likely descended from the wild mouflon. There were around 1.2 billion sheep in 2019, and their wool is the most widely used animal fibre.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?Yes
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatFarmland, Grassland
ColoursWhite, Black, Brown
SizeMedium
Length120–180 cm
Weight20–200 kg, depending on breed
Legs4
Covered inWool
Lives inflocks
Lives for10–12 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Farmed across most of the inhabited world, especially in Australia, New Zealand, southern South America, South Africa and the British Isles.
- What it eats
- Grass and other short plants. Sheep graze close to the ground and avoid the woody growth that goats eat.
Did you know
Recognises and remembers about 50 individual faces for years.
Often confused with
- Goat
A goat usually has a beard and holds its short tail up. A sheep’s tail hangs down, even when short, and its upper lip is split.
Sources
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