Blackheaded Somali

Blackheaded Somali

Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk [1] : 134  DAD-IS (2026): unknown/at risk [2]
Other names	Somali Berbera Blackhead Blackhead Persian Ogaden [3] : 362
Country of origin	Somalia
Distribution	Somalia Djibouti eastern Ethiopia northern Kenya Sudan [4] : 916  [5]
Type	hair sheep
Traits
Weight	Female: about 32 kg [2]
Height	Female: average 62 cm [2]
Hair colour	white
Face colour	black
Horn status	polled
Sheep Ovis aries

The Blackheaded Somali is Somali breed of domestic sheep. It is one of two breeds of sheep reported by Somalia, the other being the Somali Arab. It is white with a black head; it is a hair sheep, is polled, and belongs to the fat-rumped group of breeds. It is distributed throughout Somalia, in Djibouti, in eastern Ethiopia, in northern Kenya and as far as the Toposa region of south-eastern South Sudan. ^{[4] : 916  [5]}

History

The Blackheaded Persian of South Africa derives from it. ^{[4] : 916}

Characteristics

The Blackheaded Somali is white with a black head. it is a hair sheep, is polled, and belongs to the fat-rumped group of breeds. ^{[4] : 916  [3] : 362}

The animal is mainly reared for meat production and is a major export of the Somali economy, particularly to the Arabian Peninsula, via Berbera port. Burco and Yirowe being home to the largest livestock markets in the Horn of Africa, with as many as 10,000 heads of sheep and goats sold daily, many of whom shipped to Gulf states via the port. ^{[6] [7]} The market handles livestock from all over the Horn of Africa. ^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Somali goat

References

1. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
2. Breed data sheet: Somali / Somalia (Sheep). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2026.
3. Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2020). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (sixth edition). Wallingford; Boston: CABI. ISBN   9781789241532.
4. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN   9781780647944.
5. Transboundary breed: Somali. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2026.
6. Regulating the Livestock Economy of Somalia. Academy for Peace and Development. 2002.
7. Project, War-torn Societies; Programme, WSP Transition (2005). Rebuilding Somalia: Issues and Possibilities. Red Sea Press. ISBN   978-1-56902-228-3.
8. A Self-portrait of Somalia: Rebuilding from the Ruins. Somalia Centre for Peace and Development. 1999.
9. "CBS - Economy and Finance". Central Bank of Somalia. Retrieved 8 September 2013.