Sheep

One of the first domesticated animals

Sheep were domesticated from the wild mouflon (Ovis orientalis) of southwest Asia approximately 11,000 years ago — around the same time as goats, and earlier than cattle, pigs, or horses. They were initially kept for meat, milk, and skins; wool was a later development, requiring centuries of selective breeding to convert the short hairy outer coat into the dense fleece of modern sheep.

A breed for every output

Modern sheep breeds are sharply specialized:

• Wool breeds — Merino (fine wool), Romney, Lincoln (long wool).
• Meat breeds — Suffolk, Dorper, Hampshire.
• Milk breeds — East Friesian, Lacaune (used for Roquefort cheese), Awassi.
• Dual-purpose — Border Leicester, Corriedale.

The Merino dominates fine-wool textiles globally; a single Merino fleece can be spun into kilometers of yarn at micron diameters that compete with cashmere.

Flocking, fight, and flight

Sheep are deeply social. They:

• Follow flock leaders and visual cues — a single trained “Judas” sheep can lead an entire flock through unfamiliar terrain.
• Have wide peripheral vision (around 270-320 degrees) but poor depth perception.
• Trigger powerful flight responses to perceived predator behavior; a single disturbance can stampede a flock.

Border Collies and other working dogs exploit this herding instinct — predator-style stalking pressure pushes the flock without aggression.

Recognized faces

Studies at the University of Cambridge have shown sheep can recognize and remember individual human and sheep faces for years — comparable to facial recognition in some primates. The implication for sheep welfare in commercial farming is the subject of ongoing research.