Sheep are among the most valuable of all domestic animals

Sheep are among the most valuable of all domestic animals. Domestic animals are ones that have been tamed for use by humans. People eat sheep meat and drink sheep milk. The wool is used to make cloth. Male sheep are called rams. Female sheep are called ewes. Sheep are closely related to goats.


The Swaledale is an English breed of sheep with curling horns.
Colin Seddon/Nature Picture Library
 

There are more than 200 breeds of sheep. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. Sheep can be either wild or domestic. Most sheep like to live in high and dry areas.
Adult sheep weigh 80 to 400 pounds (35 to 180 kilograms). Some sheep have horns. They curl in loops alongside the head. Certain types of wild sheep have very long horns. The horns of the bighorn sheep can be more than 3.3 feet (1 meter) in length. Most domesticated sheep grow a thick coat of fibers called wool. Wild sheep grow both hair and wool.


Rambouillet ram
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.


Southdown ram
© Sally Anne Thompson/Animal Photography
 

Sheep eat grass and plants. They often graze in large groups, or flocks. Sheep have four separate stomach compartments, or sections. They regurgitate their food (bring it back up from the stomach) and chew it again. This helps the stomach fully digest the food.

People raise sheep for their meat, milk, and wool. The meat of an adult sheep is called mutton. Meat from a younger sheep is called lamb. Some people drink sheep milk. It is also used to make cheese. Certain types of sheep are raised specifically for their wool. These include Merino and Rambouillet sheep.