A female sheep is called a ewe.
A male sheep is a ram.
A castrated ram is called a wether.
A newborn sheep is called a lamb until it
is weaned (no longer drinks milk).
• The length of pregnancy (gestation) is five
months.
Sheep
Ovis aries
• Sheep vary greatly in size and can typically
weigh between 45kg and 160kg.
• There is over 200 different breeds of sheep
in the world. The different breeds of sheep
are used for different puposes.
• Sheep are mostly farmed for their wool and
meat, but can also be used for milk.
Sheep do not have any upper front teeth! Instead they have a flat hard gum
area, called a dental pad; this allows sheep to eat grass closer to the ground.
INTERESTING FACTS!
► Dolly (the sheep) was the world's first mammal to be cloned and was born on
5 July 1996. It took 276 attempts before the experiment was successful.
► Each ram is usually mated to approximately 50 ewes!
► Sheep have tails, but these are docked (removed) when they are young
to prevent the tail becoming soiled with dung and attracting blowflies,
which can cause fly strike that will harm or kill the sheep.