(Irregular plural: sheep).
1. A docile and vulnerable person who would rather follow than make an independent decision.
2. A timid defenseless simpleton who is readily preyed upon.
3. Woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat.
Any of several ruminant, even-toed, hoofed mammals of the family Bovidae. Wild species survive in the uplands of central and E Asia, N Africa, S Europe and North America. The domesticated breeds are all classified as Ovis aries.
Various breeds of sheep are reared worldwide for meat, wool, milk, and cheese, and for rotation on arable land to maintain its fertility.
Domestic sheep are descended from wild sheep of the Neolithic Middle East. The original species may be extinct but was probably closely related to the surviving mouflon o. musimom of Sardinia and Corsica. Only a small proportion of European and North American breeds are still in full commercial use. Among those, the Rambouillet breed is used extensively in the us for its fine wool, and the Columbia is a popular meat-producing breed.
Diseases.
The most serious disease to affect sheep is scrapie, which attacks the nervous system. Notifiable infectious diseases of sheep include anthrax, foot and mouth, and scab. + prikaži više