Holly Spindler
There are over a billion sheep on the planet and these facts may just change the way you think about sheep.
Not only are there over a billion sheep on the planet, they have been domesticated and living close by our sides for 11,000 years. Yet humans still don’t know a lot about them, and often underestimate these gentle animals. Here’s some facts that might make you think differently.
1. They have amazing vision
Thanks to having pupils that are very wide and oval-shaped, unlike the round pupils of a human, sheep have almost 360 degree vision. That means that they can see behind themselves without turning their heads, which is a great asset for a prey animal.
2. Sheep are smarter than you think
Sheep have shown the ability to recognise at least 50 individual faces for more than two years, they can differentiate different facial expressions and prefer a smile to a frown. They have also proven able to navigate out of a maze and responded to clicker training just like dogs.
3. They bond with other sheep
Sheep form strong bonds with others and have even been seen to support each other in fights, standing up for weaker sheep.
4. They lived at the White House
US President, Woodrow Wilson, kept a flock of sheep at the White House to keep the grass trimmed, a cost-saving measure during the war.
5. Lambs are quick off the mark
Lambs can walk just minutes after birth, but do depend on their mothers for the first six months of their lives. Lambs bred for food are sadly taken away and killed between 5-8 months old. Like piglets, at a young age lambs are unfortunately often castrated and tail docking is also common, both without anaesthetic.
6. Sheep can run really fast!
You might have seen herds of sheep running from sheepdogs but did you know sheep can reach a top speed of around 20mph? That’s twice as fast as the average human!
7. Some sheep have horns
Many domesticated breeds of sheep are ‘polled’ which means they lack horns as they have been bred not to have them. Some breeds of wild sheep still have horns and they are made from keratin, the same material as our fingernails.
8. Wild sheep do not need to be sheared
Domestic sheep have been bred to grow wool continually so that they rely on humans to shear them. Wild sheep lose their coats when they need to. Wool is not grown for humans - it serves as protection for the animal. Unfortunately shearing can cause stress and injury to the sheep.
9. Tail-docking has life-long effects on pain in sheep
Studies have found that sheep who experience tail-docking without any pain relief in the first days of their life (which is true for most sheep) go on to become more sensitive to pain in the future. Ewes who were tail-docked found giving birth more painful than those who didn’t experience painful tail docking when they were babies.
10. Sheep don’t need much sleep
Sheep only sleep for about 4 hours a night. During the day sheep stay quite active because they like to move around to make sure they are near other sheep which makes them feel safe, and because they need to spend a lot of time standing up so that their digestive system works properly. New-born lambs, on the other hand, need lots of sleep and will sleep, in between playing and feeding, for around 12-16 hours a day.
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