A domestic sheep (Ovis aries) with a thick fleece stands in a grassy pasture.

Sheep (Ovis aries) — Domestic sheep in St. Johanner Stadtwald, Germany.

Creator: [AnRo0002](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:AnRo0002). CC0, Creative Commons Zero public-domain dedication: [CC0 1.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC0 (Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication)

View image source

Species record

Sheep

Ovis aries

Explore the Sheep (Ovis aries) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The Sheep is a domesticated ruminant kept on pastures, grasslands, and farms across Oceania, Europe, and Asia. Its woolly coat and grazing digestion support production of fiber, meat, milk, and landscape grazing, and multiple breeds, varieties, and managed lines exist.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Chordates
  3. Subphylum: Vertebrates
  4. Class: Mammals
  5. Order: Even-toed ungulates
  6. Family: Cattle, antelopes and relatives
  7. Genus: Ovis

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
pastures, grasslands, farms
Selected regions
Oceania, Europe, Asia
Selected countries
New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, China

Conservation status

The Ark records: Domesticated.

Did you know?

  • Sheep have pupils that are wider from side to side than from top to bottom.
  • Wool grows continuously in many sheep breeds.

More images

A Swaledale ewe (Ovis aries) stands on the rolling fells of the Lake District near Keswick, England.

Sheep (Ovis aries) — Swaledale ewe, Lake District, England.

Creator: [User:Diliff](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Diliff). CC BY-SA 3.0; also GFDL. Licence: [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0; also GFDL

View image source

Sources and attribution