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Fun Facts About Sheep

What’s in a NAME?

Lamb = a young sheep under one year of age
Shearling = a yearling sheep before its first shearing, also hogget, old-season lamb
Ewe = a female
Dam = A female who has given birth to a lamb
Ram = a mature male
Wether = a castrated male
Flock = a group of sheep
Fleece = the wool from a single sheep in the shorn grease state

  • The average gestation length of pregnancy varies from 144 to 151 days
    • They can often give birth to twins and even triplets!
  • Rectangular pupils
    • This allows for a wide field of vision, around 270 to 320 degrees.
    • They can see almost everything around them, except for what’s directly behind them, without turning their heads! As prey species, this helps them watch for predators, even when their head is down grazing.
  • Excellent sense of smell
    • One way sheep communicate with each other is through scent. Sheep have scent glands in front of their eyes and between the digits of their hooves that produce smelly secretions used to communicate with one another!
  • Moms recognize their lamb’s bleat
    • Sheep also communicate through vocalizations, often called bleating. A mom can recognize which lambs are hers by the sound of their calls.
  • There are over 1,000 breeds!
  • With all these different breeds, there are some very unique characteristics.
    • Some breeds where the males and females can grow horns, with some even growing two, four, and even six horns!- ours don’t grow any horns
    • Some sheep have long, silky hair rather than the typical curly wool
  • Very smart
    • They have great memories- research has shown that sheep can recognize up to 50 other sheep faces and remember them for two years. They can even recognize human faces! Other studies have shown that sheep can remember how to navigate complex mazes.
  • Highly social
    • They don’t only remain in flocks for protection from predators- they form strong bonds with one another, such as those between a mother and her lamb and other friendships.
  • Have an upper lip that is divided by a distinct groove
    • This groove is called a philtrum. Sheep are selective grazers and prefer eating vegetation near the soil surface. The philtrum allows them to get close to the ground and select only the grasses and other vegetation they like.
  • They don’t have top front teeth
  • Sheep have a hard upper palate that the lower teeth press against to break down food.