Sheep

Sheep (plural: sheep) or domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. While “sheep” generally refers to domesticated varieties, they belong to the order Artiodactyla, which includes even-toed ungulates. Domestic sheep number over one billion, making them the most numerous sheep species.

An adult female is called a ewe, an intact male is a ram, a castrated male is a wether, and a young sheep is a lamb. They likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia, particularly in the region of Iran.

Sheep were among the first animals domesticated for agricultural use, raised for wool, meat (lamb or mutton), and milk. Wool is the most widely used animal fiber, harvested by shearing. In Commonwealth countries, meat from young sheep is called lamb, while older sheep meat is mutton; in the U.S., both are typically referred to as lamb. Today, sheep are still valued for wool, meat, and occasionally as dairy animals or research models.

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