Sheep (
Ovis aries) are
quadrupedal,
ruminant mammals typically kept as
livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the
even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus
Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to
Ovis aries. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep.
Sheep are most likely descended from the wild
mouflon of Europe and Asia. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for
agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for
fleece, meat (lamb, hogget or mutton) and
milk. A sheep's
wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by
shearing.
Ovine meat is called
lamb when from younger animals and
mutton when from older ones. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for
pelts, as
dairy animals, or as
model organisms for science.
Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, and has been fundamental to many civilizations. In the modern era,
Australia,
New Zealand, the southern and central
South American nations, and the
British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production.
[citation needed]
Sheep-raising has a large
lexicon of unique terms which vary considerably by region and
dialect. Use of the word
sheep began in
Middle English as a derivation of the
Old English word
scēap; it is both the singular and plural name for the animal. A group of sheep is called a flock,
herd or mob. Adult female sheep are referred to as ewes, intact males as rams or occasionally tups,
castrated males as wethers, and younger sheep as lambs. Many other specific terms for the various life stages of sheep exist, generally related to lambing, shearing, and age.
Being a key animal in the history of farming, sheep have a deeply entrenched place in human culture, and find representation in much modern language and
symbology. As livestock, sheep are most-often associated with
pastoral,
Arcadian imagery. Sheep figure in many
mythologies—such as the
Golden Fleece—and major religions, especially the
Abrahamic traditions. In both ancient and modern religious ritual, sheep are used as
sacrificial animals.
- Wikipedia
Here's a better one.