sheep laurel: see mountain laurel.

sheep, common name for many species of wild and domesticated ruminant mammals of the genus Ovis of the Bovidae, or cattle, family. The male is called a ram (if castrated it is a wether), the female is called a ewe, and their offspring is a lamb. Wild sheep, found in mountainous parts of Asia, North America, and the Mediterranean region, are agile rock climbers with large, spiraling horns. They do not bear wool. Among those species are the Asian argali, the Barbary sheep, or aoudad, of North Africa, and the North American bighorn, or Rocky Mountain sheep, found from Alaska to Mexico. Sheep were first domesticated c.7,000 years ago, and the first use of their fleeces for wool is dated at c.4000 B.C. Descendants of Roman flocks figured in the evolution of the Merino type in Spain. The present-day breeds of domesticated sheep—which vary greatly because they were developed for different purposes and environments—are all thought to be derived chiefly from the wild mouflon of Sardinia and Corsica and from the urial of Asia. Sheep are bred for their wool, meat (mutton or lamb, according to age), skins, and, in certain parts of Europe and the Middle East, their milk, from which cheese is made. They are found mostly in temperate climates and thrive on roughages. Most sheep mate in the fall, and the lambs, born five months later, are called spring lambs. Among the important breeds are the Columbia, Cotswold, Dorset, Hampshire, Karakul, Leicester, Lincoln, Merino, Oxford, Rambouillet, Shropshire, Southdown, and Suffolk sheep. Sheep are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae.

mountain sheep: see bighorn.

Suffolk sheep, relatively large breed, developed in England, well-known for its high quality meat. Considered to be a recent introduction to the United States, the breed has many desirable qualities and is becoming widely accepted there. Suffolks have bare heads, black faces, and bare black legs but no horns. They breed aggressively and have upstanding carriage, an active nature, the capacity for rapid growth, and a good mutton build; they are, however, relatively light fleece producers. Suffolk rams are widely used with ewes of other breeds to produce crossbred lambs for slaughter.

Southdown sheep, mutton breed of sheep originated on the South Downs of Sussex, England, and now raised throughout the world. It is a small sheep, the most thickset of all breeds, and it is valued for the meatiness of the lamb carcasses. The wool is of medium length and fine grade; it varies in color from gray to brown on the face and feet. The Southdown, one of the oldest English breeds, has been extensively used in improving other breeds; it was first imported to the United States in 1803 and has found acceptance in farm flock areas.

Shropshire sheep, mutton breed developed from the native sheep of Shropshire and Staffordshire, England. As early as 1340 there was a grade of wool known as Shropshire, but the breed was not officially recognized until about the middle of the 19th cent. The Shropshire is of medium size, has a dark face, is prolific and fast growing, and produces a good grade of mutton and wool. Because of its adaptability, it has spread widely over the world. It is the most popular breed of English origin in the United States, to which its importation began c.1855.

Rocky Mountain sheep: see bighorn.

Rambouillet sheep, fine-wool breed developed in France from the Spanish Merino sheep. It has become very popular in the United States and is the foundation of most of the Western range flocks. Intermediate to large in size, Rambouillets are the largest and strongest of the fine-wool sheep; the rams are horned, the ewes hornless. Besides being valued for their high-quality wool, Rambouillets are also good meat animals. The ewes are bred extensively on the range to coarser-wooled rams, especially of the Hampshire and Suffolk breeds.

Oxford sheep, relatively large-bodied, hornless breed developed in England using crosses between Hampshire and Cotswold sheep. The breed was selected for size and productivity. It has not had widespread popularity in the United States.

Merino sheep, breed intermediate in body size having fine wool, developed in Spain. These sheep are noted for their hardiness and their herding instincts and have been used as parents of several other breeds, notably the Rambouillet of France. Three strains have been developed. Types A and B are strongly and moderately wrinkled, respectively; the C, or Delaine, type is much smoother, and has better combinations of wool and meat qualities. Merinos are white-faced with the rams horned and the ewes hornless.

Lincoln sheep, very large-bodied, white-faced, hornless breed having coarse wool, developed in England. It has made considerable contributions to the American sheep industry in the parentage of other breeds and is widely raised in several countries of the Southern Hemisphere.

Leicester sheep, breed of sheep originated from native stock as mutton producers in Leicestershire, England, by the English livestock breeder Robert Bakewell (c.1755). English Leicesters have white faces and legs, broad backs, and thick flesh. They mature early and have heavy fleeces, the wool hanging in compact locks. Offspring of a cross of Merino ewes and English Leicester rams provide some of the choicest of all wools. The Border Leicester strain was developed in the border counties of England and Scotland by crossbreeding English Leicesters and Cheviots. Their heads are free of wool, their bodies square, and their carriage alert. Leicesters were first brought to the United States in colonial times and are bred in small numbers in parts of the N United States. In Canada Border Leicesters are more common than the English.

Karakul sheep, breed native to central Asia. The newborn lambs usually have tightly curled black fur and are skinned before they are three days old to provide the commercial lambskin for which the sheep are raised. The finest pelts are often obtained from unborn lambs. A large percentage of this lambskin is classified as Persian lamb, though it may also be called karakul, broadtail, krimmer, or astrakhan, according to the quality and tightness of the curl. The lambs grow rapidly and produce good meat but are seldom raised for this purpose. The grown sheep are medium-sized and broad-tailed; their wool is a mixture of coarse and fine fibers, varying in color from black to shades of tan and gray, and is used in making carpeting and other heavy fabrics. Karakul sheep are raised in several countries of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. In the United States they are raised on a small scale, chiefly in Texas.

Hampshire sheep, large sheep bred originally in Hampshire, England, by crossing Southdowns, Cotswolds, and other breeds. Hampshires are large in size and hornless, have black faces and legs, and are characterized by rapid growth. Recognized as one of the popular meat breeds, they are raised all over the world on farms and ranges and are one of the leading breeds in the United States, particularly in Kentucky and California.

Dorset sheep, medium-sized breed developed in England; the only major breed in which both rams and ewes are horned. It has been introduced into many areas of the United States, although it has failed to gain widespread popularity there.

Cotswold sheep, large, white-faced, hornless breed with a broad, flat back, moderately deep body, heavy fleece, and long, coarse wool hanging in ringlets. It was originated in the Cotswold Hills in England. The Cotswold is often crossed with the Merino and Rambouillet breeds. In the United States it is found mostly in the Northwest.

Columbia sheep, medium-wool breed developed in the United States using Lincoln and Rambouillet sheep crosses. The breed was developed primarily for the Western ranges but is also used successfully in farm flocks. Columbias are white-faced, hornless, and relatively large in size and are prolific breeders.

or lambkill

Open upright woody shrub (Kalmia angustifolia) of the heath family. Growing 1–4 ft (0.3–1.2 m) high, it has glossy, leathery, evergreen leaves and showy pink to rose flowers. Like other Kalmia species (including mountain laurel) and other members of the heath family, it contains a poison (andromedotoxin). In northwestern North America, where these plants occur, livestock (especially sheep) that graze on nonfertile soils of abandoned pastures and meadows may ingest enough of the plant to become poisoned, potentially fatally.

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Ruminants (bovid genus Ovis) that have scent glands in the face and hind feet. Horns, if present, are more divergent than those of goats. Species range from 80 to 400 lb (35 to 180 kg). The coat of wild species consists of outer hair underlain by wool. Sheep graze in flocks, preferably on short, fine grasses and legumes. They have been domesticated from at least 5000 BC in the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia. Most domesticated breeds produce fine wool; the few that produce only hair or coarse or long wool are generally raised for meat. The flesh of mature sheep is called mutton; that of immature sheep is called lamb.

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or mountain sheep

Stocky, climbing hoofed mammal (Ovis canadensis) of western North America. Both sexes have horns that in the male may curve in a spiral more than 39 in. (1 m) long. Their fur is usually brown with a whitish rump patch. The related thinhorn, or Dall's sheep (O. dalli), of Alaska and Canada is similar to the bighorn. Both species are about 39 in. (1 m) tall at the shoulder, but the bighorn is heavier, weighing up to 300 lb (136 kg). They live in small groups among remote crags and cliffs of mountainous areas and feed mainly on grasses. Bighorn rams compete for females by launching themselves at each other from a few yards' distance and clashing horns.

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Mountain range, southern Montana and northern Wyoming, U.S. It is a range of the northern Rocky Mountains extending 120 mi (193 km), rising abruptly 4,000–5,000 ft (1,200–1,500 m) above the Great Plains and Bighorn Basin. The highest summit is Wyoming's Cloud Peak, at 13,165 ft (4,013 m). Bighorn National Forest covers part of the range. On Medicine Mountain is the Medicine Wheel, a prehistoric stone-spoked circle 70 ft (20 m) in diameter.

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