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The
sheep is an animal which has a thick coat of
fleece on its body. Sheep have hoofs that is
divided into two toes. They have a gland between
their toes. The horns of the ram is usually
curved outward. Not all rams have horns. There
are hornless breeds too. In some breeds, even
the ewes have horns. The average life-span of
a sheep is about 7 years.
Some live longer. The sheep should
not be confused with the goat. They are different
in many ways. Sheep do not have a beard like
the billy goat. They also do not have the "goat"
odor. There are still wild sheep around. The
largest sheep is the wild sheep, Argali. The
Argali lives in the Altai Mountains of Siberia
and Mongolia. The male can grow up to 4 feet
tall at the shoulders and his horns can spiral
about 20 inches around.
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In
the United States, the popular breeds are :
Rambouillet, Columbia, Suffolk and Hampshire.
Texas has the most sheep in the United States.
Do you know the enemies of the sheep ? The sheep
have many natural enemies like the coyotes,
the mountain lions, wolves and even the domestic
dogs.
Sheep are hardy animals. This means that it
can survive in tough climates, like the cold
or dry climates and feed on different types
of grass. Sheep move around in large groups
called flocks. They graze on fresh grass. In
the olden days, a shepard and his dog will watch
over the flock. However, in modern times, some
farms are so big that they have to go on horsebacks
and motorcyles to herd them.
The female sheep is called an ewe. The young
are called lambs and the male is called the
ram.
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