Ovis

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Ovis
There are 7 species of Ovis.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Tribe:
Caprini
Genus: Ovis
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Ovis aries
Species

See text.

Ovis is a

southwest Asia
.

Terminology

Female sheep are called ewes, males are called rams or less frequently bucks or tups, neutered males are called wethers, and young sheep are called lambs. The adjective applying to sheep is ovine, and the collective term for sheep is flock or mob. The term herd is also occasionally used in this sense, generally for large flocks. Many specialist terms relating to domestic sheep are used.

Characteristics

Sheep are fairly small compared to other

ungulates; in most species, adults weigh less than 100 kg (220 lb).[2]
Males are usually heavier than females by a significant amount. Wild sheep are mostly found in hilly or mountainous habitats. Their diets consist mainly of
grasses, as well as other plants and lichens. Like other ruminants, they have four-chambered stomachs, which play a vital role in digesting food; they eructate, and rechew the cud
to enable them to digest and live on low-quality, rough plant materials. Sheep conserve water well, and can live in fairly dry environments.

The bodies of wild sheep (and some domestic breeds) are covered by a coat of thick

fibre. Domestic sheep are also reared for their milk and meat (which is called lamb or mutton
depending on the age of the animal).

In wild sheep, both rams and ewes have horns, while in domestic sheep (depending upon breed) horns may be present in both rams and ewes, in rams only, or in neither. Rams' horns may be very large – those of a mature bighorn ram can weigh 14 kg (31 lb) – as much as the bones of the rest of its body put together. Rams use their horns to fight with each other for dominance and the right to mate with females. In most cases, they do not injure each other because they hit each other head-to-head, and their curved horns do not strike each other's bodies. They are also protected by having very thick skin and double-layered skulls.[4]

Wild sheep have very keen

hearing. When detecting predators, wild sheep most often flee, usually to higher ground, but they can also fight back. The Dall sheep has been known to butt wolves off the face of cliffs.[4]

Sheep have

mark their territories
by rubbing scent on rocks.

Species

Seven species (and numerous subspecies) of sheep are currently recognized. The main recognized divisions are:[1]

Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution
Ovis ammon Argali or
mountain sheep
central Kazakhstan in the west to the Shanxi Province in China
Ovis aries[5] Domestic sheep Domesticated
Ovis canadensis Bighorn sheep North America
Ovis dalli Dall sheep or
thinhorn sheep
northwestern North America.
Ovis gmelini Mouflon eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran
Ovis nivicola Snow sheep northeast of Siberia
Ovis vignei Urial Central and South Asia.
Ovis gracilis A fossil species from the Early Pleistocene of Taurida Cave, Crimea.[6]

Behaviour

Sheep are social animals and live in groups, called flocks. This helps them to avoid

predators and stay warm in cold weather by huddling together. Flocks of sheep need to keep moving to find new grazing areas and more favourable weather as the seasons change. In each flock, a sheep, usually a mature ram, is followed by the others.[3] This "leader to follower" relationship can be both a positive and negative for flocks of Ovis aries. Although there is safety in numbers, it has been reported that the following of one mature ram can bring flocks to slaughter in many situations where the mature ram misguides the flock.[7][8]

Mating

Sheep

Mating in sheep is characterized by males competing for females in estrus.[9] Social rank in rams is established by male-male competition, known as the rut.[10] Females select from dominant males based on sexually selected characteristics such as body size and horn size, as those traits are desirable in offspring.

Females typically are separated from males outside the rut, but during the rut, females and males are found together.[10] Females that are oestrous isolate themselves from other ewes, and may be less mobile.[10] The rut is also linked with different ewe behaviour than during nonrutting periods.[10] These changes are characterized by decreased feeding, increased time observing their surroundings, and increased behaviour changes.[10] Ewes are also predicted to be slightly receptive to the displays of the rams.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ .
  2. ^
  3. ^
  4. ^ ICZN (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature) Opinion 2027
  5. ISSN 0031-0301
    . Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  6. . Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  7. ^ Schoenian, Susan. "Follow The Leader". Sheep 101. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  8. PMID 11798432
    .
  9. ^ a b c d e f Gonzalez, Georges; Bon, Richard; Estevez, Imna; Recarte, Jose (2001). "Behaviour of Ewes (Ovis Gmelini Musimon x Ovis Sp.) During the Rut". Rev. Ecol. 56: 221–230.

External links

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