Domestic Sheep
Ovis aries
Sheep have horizontal, slit-shaped pupils that provide a 270- to 320-degree field of vision, allowing them to spot predators without even turning their heads.
- Scientific name
- Ovis aries
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Artiodactyla › Bovidae › Ovis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Pastures, meadows, agricultural rangelands, and grassy hillsides.
- Diet
- Herbivorous; primarily grasses, clover, forbs, and low-growing shrubs.
- Range
- Worldwide (domesticated), Asia, Europe, North America, Australia, South America, Africa
- Size
- 0.9 to 1.5 meters in length, weighing 45 to 160 kg
- Lifespan
- 10-12 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Predation by wild carnivores (such as wolves and coyotes), domestic dog attacks, infectious diseases, and extreme weather events.
- Safe to approach?
- Domestic sheep are generally harmless and docile, though rams (males) can be defensive and may charge if threatened. Maintain a respectful distance of 5-10 meters, especially around ewes with lambs. If a ram charges, do not run; step aside quickly. In the rare event of a bite or scrape, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water.
The sheep ( Ovis aries ) is a quadrupedal, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis , in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries . Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female sheep is referred to as a ewe (/juː/), an...
Photo: Christopher Stephens, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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