Ovis Aries animal | #short | #animal

Ovis is a genus of mammals, part of the Caprinae subfamily of the ruminant family Bovidae.[1] Its seven highly sociable species are known as sheep. Domestic sheep are members of the genus, and are thought to be descended from the wild mouflon of central and southwest Asia.
SheepThere are 7 species of Ovis.Scientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:ArtiodactylaFamily:BovidaeSubfamily:CaprinaeGenus:Ovis
Linnaeus, 1758Type speciesOvis aries

Linnaeus, 1758

Species
See text.

Terminology

CharacteristicsEdit
Sheep are fairly small compared to other ungulates; in most species, adults weigh less than 100 kg (220 lb).[2] Males are usually heavier than females by a significant amount. Wild sheep are mostly found in hilly or mountainous habitats. Their diets consist mainly of grasses, as well as other plants and lichens. Like other ruminants, they have four-chambered stomachs, which play a vital role in digesting food; they eructate, and rechew the cud to enable them to digest and live on low-quality, rough plant materials. Sheep conserve water well, and can live in fairly dry environments.
The bodies of wild sheep (and some domestic breeds) are covered by a coat of thick hair to protect them from cold. This coat contains long, stiff hairs, called kemps, over a short, woolly undercoat, which grows in autumn and is shed in spring.[3] This woolly undercoat has been developed in many domestic sheep breeds into a fleece of long wool, with selection against kemp hairs in these breeds. The fleece covers the body (in a few breeds also the face and legs) and is used for fibre. Domestic sheep are also kept for their milk and meat (which is called lamb or mutton depending on the age of the animal).
In wild sheep, both rams and ewes have horns, while in domestic sheep (depending upon breed) horns may be present in both rams and ewes, in rams only, or in neither. Rams' horns may be very large – those of a mature bighorn ram can weigh 14 kg (31 lb) – as much as the bones of the rest of its body put together. Rams use their horns to fight with each other for dominance and the right to mate with females. In most cases, they do not injure each other because they hit each other head-to-head, and their curved horns do not strike each other's bodies. They are also protected by having very thick skin and double-layered skulls.[4]
Wild sheep have very keen senses of sight and hearing. When detecting predators, wild sheep most often flee, usually to higher ground, but they can also fight back. The Dall sheep has been known to butt wolves off the face of cliffs.[4]
Sheep have scent glands on their faces and feet. Communication through the scent glands is not well understood, but is thought to be important for sexual signaling. Males can smell females that are in estrus, and rams mark their territories by rubbing scent on rocks.
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