Sheep | Characteristics, Breeds, & Facts - Encyclopedia Britannica

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External Websites

• MSD Manual - Veterinary Manual - Behavior of Sheep
• LiveScience - Facts About Sheep
• A-Z Animals - Sheep
• DigitalCommons at University of Nebraska - Lincoln - Wildlife responses to livestock guard dogs and domestic sheep on open rangeon open range (PDF)
• Animal Diversity Web - Ovis aries
• CellPress - iScience - Integrative single-cell transcriptomics of sheep ovarian development reveals dynamic transcriptional programs relevant to reproductive traits (PDF)
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The Sheep Genome Illuminates Biology of the Rumen and Lipid Metabolism

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• sheep - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• sheep - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Ovis aries Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Dec. 6, 2025 •History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Top Questions

What are domesticated sheep raised for?

Domesticated sheep are raised for their meat, milk, and wool. In all wild species of sheep, the outer coat is hair, and beneath this lies a short undercoat of fine wool, which has been developed into the fleece of domesticated sheep.

How much do sheep weigh?

Mature sheep weigh from about 35 kg to as much as 180 kg (80 to 400 pounds).

Why do sheep regurgitate their food?

A sheep regurgitates its food and chews the cud to enable its four separate stomach compartments to thoroughly digest the grasses and other herbage that it eats.

When were sheep first domesticated?

Sheep were first domesticated from wild species of sheep by at least 5000 BCE, and their remains have been found at numerous sites of early human habitation in the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia. Wild species also continue to exist.

How many sheep are there?

There were estimated to be more than one billion domesticated sheep in the world in the early 21st century. The major national producers of sheep are Australia, New Zealand, China, India, the United States, South Africa, Argentina, and Turkey. More than 200 breeds of sheep exist.

What’s the difference between a lamb and a sheep?

A lamb is a young sheep. When consumed as food, the flesh of a mature sheep (ram or ewe) at least one year old is called mutton; that of a sheep less than a year old is called lamb.

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sheep, (Ovis aries), species of domesticated ruminant (cud-chewing) mammal, raised for its meat, milk, and wool. The sheep is usually stockier than its relative the goat (genus Capra); its horns, when present, are more divergent; it has scent glands in its face and hind feet; and the males lack the beards of goats. Sheep usually have short tails. In all wild species of sheep, the outer coat takes the form of hair, and beneath this lies a short undercoat of fine wool that has been developed into the fleece of domesticated sheep. Male sheep are called rams, the females ewes, and immature animals lambs. Mature sheep weigh from about 35 to as much as 180 kg (80 to 400 pounds). To browse sheep by breed, see below.

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A sheep regurgitates its food and chews the cud, thus enabling its four separate stomach compartments to thoroughly digest the grasses and other herbage that it eats. The animals prefer grazing on grass or legume vegetation that is short and fine, though they will also consume high, coarse, or brushy plants as well. They graze plants closer to the root than do cattle, and so care must be taken that sheep do not overgraze a particular range. Sheep are basically timid animals who tend to graze in flocks and are almost totally lacking in protection from predators. They mature at about one year of age, and many breed when they reach the age of about one and a half years. Most births are single, although sheep do have twins on occasion. The lambs stop suckling and begin to graze at about four or five months of age.

Sheep were first domesticated from wild species of sheep at least 5000 bce, and their remains have been found at numerous sites of early human habitation in the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia. Domesticated sheep are raised for their fleece (wool), for milk, and for meat. The flesh of mature sheep is called mutton; that of immature animals is called lamb. There were estimated to be more than one billion sheep in the world in the early 21st century. The major national producers are Australia, New Zealand, China, India, the United States, South Africa, Argentina, and Turkey. Countries that have large areas of grassland are the major producers.

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Domestic sheep differ from their wild progenitors and among themselves in conformation, quantity and quality of fleece, colour, size, milk production, and other characteristics. Most breeds of domesticated sheep produce wool, while a few produce only hair, and wild sheep grow a combination of wool and hair. Several hundred different breeds of sheep have been developed to meet environmental conditions influenced by latitudes and altitudes and to satisfy human needs for clothing and food. Breeds of sheep having fine wool are generally raised for wool production alone, while breeds with medium or long wool or with only hair are generally raised for meat production. Several crossbreeds have been developed that yield both wool and meat of high quality, however. Of the more than 200 breeds of sheep in the world, the majority are of limited interest except in local areas. For articles on individual breeds of sheep, see Cheviot; Hampshire; Karakul; Merino; Rambouillet; Shropshire.

Related Topics: Cotswold Oxford Dartmoor Leicester Norfolk (Show more) On the Web: MSD Manual - Veterinary Manual - Behavior of Sheep (Dec. 06, 2025) (Show more) See all related content

The table provides a comparison of selected breeds of sheep.

Selected breeds of sheep

name	type of wool	distribution	characteristics	comments
	Black-Faced Highland, also called Scottish Blackface	carpet	originally Scotland, now also U.S., Italy, Argentina	black or mottled, horned	stylish appearance
	Columbia	medium	developed in U.S. since 1912	large, white-faced, hornless	high wool yield; mutton acceptable
	Corriedale	medium	developed in N.Z., now also in U.S., Australia	white-faced, hornless	bright, soft fleece; good quality lambs
	Cotswold	long	originally England, now also U.S.	large, white-faced, hornless	coarse, curly fleece; acceptable mutton
	Dorset	medium	developed in England, now in U.K., U.S., Australia	medium-sized, white-faced	small wool yield; out-of-season lambs; horned and hornless varieties
	Hampshire	medium	developed in England, now also widespread in U.S.	large, hornless; dark face and legs	superior mutton breed; limited wool
	Karakul	fur	originally Central Asia, now also Africa, Europe, U.S.	medium-sized, fat-tailed	coats of very young lambs called Persian lamb
	Leicester	long	originally England, now U.K., North America	massive body, white-faced, broad-backed	heavy fleece
	Lincoln	long	originally England, now also Australia, N.Z., North and South America	world's largest sheep, hornless	coarse, long wool is used chiefly for carpets
	Merino	fine	originally Spain, now also Australia, North America, South Africa	horned or hornless, heavily-wooled head	excellent, fine, soft fleeces
	North Country Cheviot	medium	originally Scotland, now widespread	white chalk; large, deep-bodied	hardy; produces superior fleece
	Rambouillet	fine	developed in France from the 18th century, now also in U.S.	smooth-bodied, horned or hornless	lambs mature rapidly; bred from Merino
	Romney	long	originally England, now also N.Z., North America, Australia	hornless with white face and legs	mostly raised for mutton; wool used for variety of products
	Southdown	medium	originally England, now also N.Z., Australia, North America	hornless with small, rounded body	raised for mutton; fleece is short
	Suffolk	medium	developed in England, now also in U.S.	black face and legs, large, hornless	fine mutton breed; acceptable wool

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.