In the Beginning - Wild Sheep

Wild sheep? Hard to imagine, but they do exist! And wouldn't you know, these wild wonders are relatives of goats. The plot thickens. It's not a piece of cake, identifying these sheep against the goats.

Although the origin of domestic sheep is unknown, scientists believe varieties of wild sheep were tamed and crossbred, yielding our modern day domesticated hornless sheep, with the exception of a few varieties such as the Rambouillet. Approximately all domesticated sheep bear wool whereas wild sheep exhibit long, coarse hair.

Many flocks of wild sheep of the 22nd Century take residency in Asia, finding favor among the mountain ranges anchored there. Wild sheep also reside in Europe, Africa and North America. There are no wild sheep in Australia or South America, so all the sheep that live there are domesticated sheep brought at one time into the countries.

How can you tell wild sheep and goats apart? You can always ask them, of course, but many times you'll just get a mumbled bleat. These tips work best in separating the two:

- Sheep never have beards. Goats often do.
- Sheep have tear bags, or pits, beneath the inner corners of the eyes. Goats do not.
- Sheep's horns curl in flat loops to the sides of their heads. Goats' horns grow straight up into the air like sturdy oaks.

If you have ever visited the Rocky Mountains, you may have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the wild sheep there - the Bighorn. These wild boys are capable of surviving the nastiest of winters. Their pelts support a two-layer coat of hair that is grown annually in autumn. In fact, the designers of hollow-fill sleeping bags modeled this gear after the hollow shafts of hair found in animals such as our Bighorn sheep. Wild, isn't it? Nonetheless, the manes of the Bighorn keep them warm and comfy just as these hollow-fill sleeping bags keep us warm on a blustery night.

Wild sheep, nature's wonder still going strong!

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