A sheep is a domesticated ruminant (cud-chewing) mammal, with a thick woolly coat and (typically only in the male) curving horns. It is kept in flocks for its wool, milk or meat, and is proverbial for its tendency to follow others in the flock.
Interesting Facts
1) Sheep have rectangular pupils that give them amazing peripheral vision – it’s estimated their field of vision is between 270 and 320 degrees; humans average about 155 degrees.
2) Newborn sheep can walk within minutes of being born.
3) Sheep do not have teeth in their upper front jaw. Instead, the lower teeth press up against a hard upper palate to break down food.
4) Sheep are extremely intelligent animals capable of problem-solving. They are considered to have a similar IQ level to cattle and are nearly as clever as pigs.
5) Sheep are known to self-medicate when they have some illnesses. They will eat specific plants when ill that can cure them.
6) Egyptians believed that sheep were sacred. They even had them mummified when they died, just like humans.
7) If a sheep were to be put on its back, it would be unable to get back upright!
8) There are approximately 900 different species of sheep in the world.
9) Sheep have scent glands in front of their eyes and in between the digits of their feet that bear a unique smell.
10) Sheep tend to cry in pain or during situations that release stress hormones.
11) Sheep milk is more digestible which makes it good for people with lactose intolerance.
12) One of the main reasons to consume sheep milk is the fact that it helps prevent cancer due to the presence of nucleotides/nucleosides.