Hill Sheep outing at the Coast

Photographed on the Saturday 05 March 2016.Sheep are commonly livestock and like all animals belong to the Kingdom Animalia, Class Mammalia and are in the Order Artiodactyla, Family Bovidae and Genus Ovis (aries). They are ruminants (herbivores, complex stomachs with microbes that break down cellulose in plants) and even-toed ungulates (hoofed animals where weight is evenly distributed between the toes) as opposed to odd-toed ungulates such as horses. Cetaceans (whales and dolphins etc.) evolved from even-toed ungulate ancestors. Sheep are probably descended from the wild Mouflon (subspecies of wild sheep) of Europe and Asia. Domestic sheep serve a diversity of purposes which is supported by approximately 200 breeds, which are often categorised by their wool. An adult female sheep is a Ewe, male adult is a Ram or Tup and if castrated is called a wether, young sheep are lambs.

More information can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep
http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/know-your-sheep/sheep-facts/
https://projects.ncsu.edu/cals/an_sci/extension/animal/4hyouth/sheep/sheepfacts.htm

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