Sheep

The sheep (Ovis aries) is a , typically kept as . Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the . Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus , 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. An adult female sheep is referred to as a ewe (), an intact male as a ram or occasionally a tup, a male as a wether, and a younger sheep as a lamb.

Sheep are most likely descended from the wild of Europe and Asia. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for purposes, sheep are raised for , meat (lamb, hogget or mutton) and . A sheep's is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by . meat is called when from younger animals and when from older ones. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for , as animals, or as for science.

is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, and has been fundamental to many civilizations. In the modern era, , , the southern and central nations, and the are most closely associated with sheep production.

Sheepraising has a large which vary considerably by region and . Use of the word sheep began in as a derivation of the word scēap; it is both the singular and plural name for the animal. A group of sheep is called a flock, or mob. 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 . As livestock, sheep are most often associated with , imagery. Sheep figure in many —such as the —and major religions, especially the traditions. In both ancient and modern religious ritual, sheep are used as .