Sheep

• Status: Safe
• Pastures and herds on every continent, raised by humans

Numbers

Weight

165 lbaverage between 110 and 220 lb, highly variable by breed, sex, and age

Length

51 infrom 47 to 59 in

Height

37 inheight at shoulder, from 28 to 47 in

Lifespan

17 yearsthe material indicates 16 to 19 years as a possible lifespan, not an farm average

Height at shoulder

47 inmaximum value, range starts from 28 in

Longevity

19 yearsupper limit indicated by the source material

Permanent incisors

8 teethcompleted around the fourth year, all in the lower jaw

Ten fun facts

1. 01

   that the Latin word pecus referred to small livestock and today sheep specifically means the adult female of the species.

2. 02

   that an adult male sheep is called a ram, while a young sheep under one year of age is called a lamb.

3. 03

   that a sheep has no upper incisors, possessing a hard bony pad instead, just like all other bovids.

4. 04

   that a lamb is born with eight baby teeth and develops a complete set of permanent teeth by four years old.

5. 05

   that thick wool distorts body size measurements, making size data truly reliable only after the sheep has been sheared.

6. 06

   that newborn lambs do not have woolly fleece yet and their hair can be very dark, sometimes nearly black.

7. 07

   that sheep are shy but possess excellent memories and learn quickly, proving that their foolish reputation is completely undeserved.

8. 08

   that the most prized wool breeds include the Merino, the long-fibered Dishley Leicester, the Lincoln, and the Doron.

9. 09

   that sheep milk is exceptionally high in fat content and is primarily used to make pecorino and ricotta cheeses.

10. 10

    that in 1996, Dolly became the very first mammal successfully cloned from an adult cell, and she was a sheep.

The quiz answers

The first one is the question printed in your book: here is the answer. The other four are extra.

Try it yourself

Data from Wikidata (Q7368) and Wikipedia (Sheep).