Livestock Facts: Ovine

 Ovine- probably one of my personal favorites is a sheep. These wool covered, multi-purpose animals provide so much to the human race but also require a ton of attention. 

First off, sheep are like humans. They can recognize their baby’s voice, are quite emotionally connected to each other, and are quite clever. Several studies have shown that sheep experience basic emotions and have shown to “be pessimists or optimists'' (BC SPCA, website). This website also explains that new-mothers (aka Dams) instantly recognise their lambs voice and go to each other for emotional support like a friend would go to a friend or a family member for advice or help through a situation. 

Secondly, sheep are similar to last week's species: the goat. This is because both animals have rectangular pupils. This is shown in the image below.

Other biological sheep facts include:

• They do not have front teeth on their upper jaw- to chew foods they use their front bottom teeth and a “hard upper palate”.

• They have a really good sense of smell- scent glands are located in front of their eyes AND on their feet!

• Lambs are born within HALF of the time it takes humans to be born- taking only 4.5 months. Certain breeds can breed all year round while most breed as early as December and give birth by July.

Finally, sheep are raised for several reasons. These livestock animals are typically raised for meat, milk, and wool. Wool being used for clothing such as shirts, bottoms, socks, and other essential clothing items. Meat often referred to as lamb is found worldwide. Lamb meals are more common in the U.K., India, and other Eastern Hemisphere countries and third-world countries. The milk, less known to people, comes from latxa sheep commonly found in or near France. Sheep's milk and cheese also contain almost double the amount of proteins and solids of cattle and goat milk.

Sources:

BC SPCA , Hadlow College- Sheep facts, Sheep Facts- Britannica

Sheep milk/cheese facts, Sheep eye- image, Sheep Hugging Image