As we see them, so hairy and fearful, they can seem silly to us. However, while we in a green field we only see a lot of grass, they see a complete pharmacy. As pastures are not all the same, there are different combinations of chemical compounds. Scientists say that the sheep self-medicates to eliminate its parasites. And although it is estimated that 80,000 plants have medicinal properties, they know exactly what to eat: the clover.
The female is called a sheep, the male without a sheep's horns, a ram with a male with horns and a lamb with young for a year or less.
The sheep live approximately 19 years.Some studies have found that sheep have a higher memory than other animals, being able to remember events up to 2 years before, and can distinguish up to 50 different individuals. It was also discovered that sheep are able to feel emotions and reflect them according to how they act. Among these emotions are love, stress, and sadness.
Humans have domesticated the sheep for about 10,000 years. While they have been domesticated there has been a change in the species, when shearing them continuously, the sheep has stopped changing its wool or coat after winter as it used to do naturally.
The ancestor of the sheep is the mouflon, it is believed that it changed to being domesticated and became a sheep. It is believed that the first sheep were originally from Asia.
Around the world it is estimated that the total number of sheep is over one billion, in addition, there are about 800 different breeds of sheep around the world thanks to mutations and crosses.For domestic sheep, their only enemy is the human being. In certain regions, they are sacrificed 2 or 3 days after being born because of their skin, which has a great commercial value.
In nature, the sheep are considered agile animals and very well adapted to their environment.The sheep tend to be very sociable and orderly if any danger or strange animal is detected in sight, the whole flock raises its head to observe what is happening. If it really is a threat, what they will do next is to get together in a single group and flee in coordination.
In the past, the ram was for the Egyptians a symbol of gods and in the Bible, the sheep was the first animal mentioned in the Old Testament.
In some breeds of sheep, their wool is rough and is also used for the manufacture of carpets.
The sheep are covered with wool, however, some species have hair. The male, only in some species, has horns, which never change, unlike other animal species. The females can also have horns, but smaller and straighter.
Their wool or hair can be of different colors such as white, black, brown or brown, and their legs, both rear and front, end in hooves that are divided into two parts, which helps them to walk among the rocks and climb. They have a fairly short tail.
From the head to the tail, the sheep rarely measure more than one meter. Regarding its weight, this species weighs about 200 kg. at most.
Domestic sheep have more hair or wool than wild sheep. In addition, the domestics have the thickest coat or wool.
Habitat
The sheep inhabit deserts, regions with high altitude and even in polar areas where temperatures are very low.These are very common in Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa, the western United States and the Iberian Peninsula.The two countries that breed the most sheep are Australia and Russia, followed by China.
Reproduction
The period of heat varies between species, however, regardless of the breed of sheep, the rams always fight to be able to mate with a female, as in the case of many other animal species.The gestation of the sheep lasts about five months. The female can give birth to two young, rarely three, although usually only one. There are species of sheep that reach up to 9 offspring. The baby is called a lamb until it is one year old.
The lambs are suckled for a month and they stay with their mother for a month and a half. Sexual maturity in males occurs earlier than in females.
References
Related publications
- https://steemit.com/animals/@conceptual-book/the-most-amazing-medical-animals-2-black-lemur
- https://steemit.com/steemstem/@conceptual-book/most-amazing-medical-animals-harpy-eagle
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