25 Sheep Facts: Clever, Woolly Animals That Shaped History

There are more than a billion sheep in the world.

India has one of the largest sheep populations in the world, with tens of millions of sheep.

Sheep were one of the first animals to be domesticated, around 11,000 years ago in the Middle East.

All domestic sheep belong to one species, but there are more than 1,000 different breeds.

Domestic sheep are descended from wild sheep called mouflon.

An adult male sheep is called a ram, a female is called a ewe and a baby is called a lamb.

A group of sheep is called a flock, and in Australia a large group is often called a mob.

Sheep have rectangular pupils, which give them a very wide field of view, around 300 degrees, so they can spot predators without turning their heads.

When a sheep lowers its head to graze, its eyes rotate in their sockets so the pupils stay level with the ground.

Sheep can recognise faces, even human ones

Sheep are surprisingly good at remembering faces. Studies have shown that they can recognise the faces of at least 50 other sheep and remember them for up to two years. In a 2017 experiment at the University of Cambridge, sheep were trained to recognise photos of famous people, including actress Emma Watson and former US President Barack Obama, and could even pick them out from photos taken at different angles. Their face-recognition skills are similar to those of monkeys and humans.

A mother ewe and her lamb can recognise each other's voices among hundreds of other sheep.

Sheep have no upper front teeth. Instead, they have a hard pad that they use to grip and tear grass.

Sheep have a four-chambered stomach and chew the cud, bringing food back up to chew it again.

Sheep have a strong instinct to stay with the flock, which helps protect them from predators.

If a sheep with a heavy fleece rolls onto its back, it may be unable to get back up. This is known as being "cast" and can be dangerous for the sheep.

Many domestic sheep never stop growing wool, so they need to be sheared at least once a year to stay healthy.

Wool contains a natural grease called lanolin, which is used in skin creams and lip balms.

Wool is naturally flame-resistant and can absorb moisture while still feeling dry.

Some sheep breeds have hair instead of wool. In India, the tall Nellore sheep of Andhra Pradesh looks a bit like a goat.

A runaway sheep grew a record-breaking fleece

In 2015, a merino sheep later named Chris was found wandering alone near Canberra, Australia, after apparently escaping shearing for about five years. His wool had grown so thick that he could barely see or walk. When he was finally sheared, his fleece weighed about 41 kilograms, setting a world record for the heaviest fleece from a single shearing. The wool was enough to make around 30 jumpers. Chris recovered and lived happily at an animal sanctuary.

During the First World War, US President Woodrow Wilson kept a flock of sheep on the White House lawn to save on gardeners. Their wool was auctioned to raise money for the Red Cross.

Dolly the sheep, born in Scotland in 1996, was the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell.

Sheep's milk is used to make famous cheeses such as feta, pecorino, Manchego and Roquefort.

The argali, the largest wild sheep in the world, lives in the mountains of Central Asia, including Ladakh, and males have huge curled horns that can weigh more than 20 kilograms.

Sheep usually live for around 10 to 12 years.