This is a list of sheep breeds usually considered to originate in Canada and the United States. [1] [2] Some may have complex or obscure histories, so inclusion here does not necessarily imply that a breed is predominantly or exclusively from those countries.
Name | Notes | Conservation status | Image |
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Agnis [3] : 260 | |||
American Blackbelly [5] : 753 | |||
American Jacob [1] | |||
American Karakul [1] | |||
American Merino |
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American Tunis [1] | |||
Ancon |
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Bell Multi-nippled [4] : 16 |
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California Red |
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California Variegated Mutant |
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Canadian Arcott [6] |
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Canadian Corriedale [6] |
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|
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Debouillet |
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Delaine Merino | |||
DLS [6] |
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Gulf Coast Native | |||
Hawaiian Black Buck |
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Hog Island |
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Imperial |
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Katahdin | |||
Louisiana Native |
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Montadale | |||
Navajo-Churro | |||
Newfoundland [6] |
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Outaouais Arcott |
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Panama |
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Polled Dorset | |||
Polypay | |||
Rideau Arcott [6] |
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Romeldale |
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Romnelet [6] |
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St. Croix | |||
Santa Cruz | |||
Stone's Sheep [4] : 16 |
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Targhee | |||
Warhill [2] | |||
Willamette [2] |
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The Blackface or Scottish Blackface is a British breed of sheep. It is the most common sheep breed of the United Kingdom. Despite the name, it did not originate in Scotland, but south of the border.
The Drysdale is a New Zealand breed of sheep. It was developed from 1931 by Francis Dry, and derives from sheep of the New Zealand Romney breed in which a mutation caused the coat to be particularly hairy, and thus suitable for carpet-making. It is a specialised carpet wool breed, but also a useful meat breed.
The Damara is a Namibian breed of fat-tailed hair sheep, also found in South Africa. The name derives from that of the Damara region of northern Namibia where it is principally found, particularly in the Kaokoveld Desert. Together with the Namaqua Afrikaner and the Ronderib Afrikaner, it is one of three breeds in the Afrikaner group of sheep that were already in southern Africa before the arrival of colonists, and which forms part of the broader African Long-fat-tailed sheep grouping. It may be solid black, brown or white, or black-and-white pied.
The Valais Blacknose, German: Walliser Schwarznasenschaf, is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Valais region of Switzerland. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for wool.
The Churra is an Iberian type, breed or group of breeds of sheep. The word churra simply means 'coarse-woolled'. The Churra originates in the Duero Valley in the autonomous community of Castile and León in north-western Spain. In the province of Zamora the milk is used to make Zamorano cheese.
The Suffolk is a British breed of domestic sheep. It originated in the late eighteenth century in the area of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, as a result of cross-breeding when Norfolk Horn ewes were put to improved Southdown rams. It is a polled, black-faced breed, and is raised primarily for its meat. It has been exported to many countries, and is among the most numerous breeds of sheep worldwide.
The Oxford Down is a British breed of domestic sheep. It was developed in the 1830s by cross-breeding of Hampshire Down and Southdown ewes with Cotswold rams. It is reared primarily for meat.
The Easycare or Easy Care is a modern British breed of easy-care sheep. It was developed in Wales in the second half of the twentieth century by cross-breeding between Welsh Mountain and Wiltshire Horn stock, with the aim of combining the meat-producing qualities and natural moulting characteristic of the latter with the hardiness of the former. It is reared for meat production.
The Devon is a traditional British breed of beef cattle. It originated in, and is named for, the county of Devon in the West Country of England. It is a deep rich red in colour, and so may be known as the Devon Ruby, Ruby red or Red Ruby; it may also be called the North Devon to distinguish it from the South Devon.
The Pelibüey or Spanish: Cubano Rojo is a Cuban breed of domestic sheep. It is found principally in Cuba, where it is the most numerous breed of sheep, but is also reared elsewhere in the Caribbean and in some coastal parts of Mexico. It is a hair sheep – its coat is of hair, not wool; this is a common adaptation to tropical environments. It is likely that it derives at least in part from African breeds of sheep such as the West African Dwarf, and probable that it is related to other American breeds of African origin such as the Barbados Black Belly, the Roja Africana of Venezuela and the Oveja Africana of Colombia.
The Barbari or Bari is a breed of small domestic goat found in a wide area in India and Pakistan. It is distributed in the states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in India, and in Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.
The Balkan donkey or mountain donkey, Serbian: Domaći balkanski magarac, is a breed or group of breeds of domestic donkey originating in the Balkan region. It is reported from Serbia and Montenegro.
The Devon Longwool was a British breed of domestic sheep from south-west England. It was distributed in southern Somerset and northern Devon, and was – like the Greyface Dartmoor and the South Devon – a polled longwool sheep. It is now considered extinct, as in 1977 it was merged with the South Devon to form the Devon and Cornwall Longwool.
The Marwari is an Indian breed of domestic sheep. It originates in, and is named for, the Marwar region of south-western Rajasthan, in the north-west of India. It is reared in the five principal districts of Marwar – Barmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Pali – and also in some neighbouring districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The Brentegana is an Italian breed of sheep from the provinces of Trento and Verona in northern Italy. The name derives from that of the comune of Brentonico, the area where the breed is thought to have originated. Two distinct types are known: the Brentegana Scelta or Brentegana Trentina, a large heavy meat/wool type; and the Brentegana Comune, a medium-sized type more suitable for milk production. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Australian Merino is an Australian breed or group of breeds of sheep, forming a significant part of the Merino group of breeds. Its origins lie in Merino sheep imported to Australia from South Africa in about 1796. By about 1830 there were almost two million Merinos in the country.
The Blue Texel, Dutch: Blauwe Texelaar, is a Dutch breed or strain of meat sheep. It is a colour variety of the Texel, which originates on the island of Texel in the Wadden Sea. A flock-book for blue sheep within the Texel breed was started in 1983, and a breed society was formed in that year.