Sheep
Ovis aries
Where is it found?
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Farmland across the globe.
Diet and foraging method
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Like other ruminants, Sheep have a four chambered stomach that helps breakdown relatively indigestible plant material. Digestion involves regurgitating partially broken down food and re-chewing it before swallowing it back down.
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Key adaptations
Four chambered stomach for digesting plant material.
Thick, woolly coat to insulate against cold weather.
Thick, woolly coat to insulate against cold weather.
Social organisation
Live in flocks
Polygynous
Did you know that...?
Sheep were the first mammals to be cloned (Dolly).
Sheep can be found in a wide range of fur colours such as brown black and white.
If a sheep ends up on its back it cant get itself up, and if left, can eventually die.
Sheep can be found in a wide range of fur colours such as brown black and white.
If a sheep ends up on its back it cant get itself up, and if left, can eventually die.
Taxonomy
Picture credits:
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Sheep looking to the right" by Joran Bosscher - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheep_looking_to_the_right.jpg#/media/File:Sheep_looking_to_the_right.jpg
"Faroesheeps" by User:Erik - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faroesheeps.jpg#/media/File:Faroesheeps.jpg
"Flock of sheep". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flock_of_sheep.jpg#/media/File:Flock_of_sheep.jpg
"Sheep looking to the right" by Joran Bosscher - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheep_looking_to_the_right.jpg#/media/File:Sheep_looking_to_the_right.jpg
"Faroesheeps" by User:Erik - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faroesheeps.jpg#/media/File:Faroesheeps.jpg
"Flock of sheep". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flock_of_sheep.jpg#/media/File:Flock_of_sheep.jpg
