Sheep

Sheep, diverse genus of mammals best known in the various races of domestic sheep (Ovis aries), bred for both meat and wool. Wild sheep are a diverse group of mountain-dwelling forms with about 37 races alive today, divided into 2 large groups: the Asiatic sheep, which include the mouflons, urials, and argalis; and the American sheep, the thinhorns and bighorns. Asiatic sheep are long-legged, lightly built animals that prefer a gently rolling terrain. American-type sheep by comparison are heavyset and barrel-chested and characteristic of steep slopes and rocky areas, in part filling the role played in Europe and Asia by the ibex. Sheep are social animals; males usually form bands following a dominant ram, and females form separate parties following a mature ewe. The rams use their horns and the specially thickened bone of their foreheads for combat, not only when sexually excited but also in dominance struggles.