# 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.

- **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.

## About

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...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/e96623cb-5200-4747-8b16-d9fbdfbb6b3f
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/121578
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovis aries
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/632127459/medium.jpg (Christopher Stephens, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.