Wild sheep live only in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere and inhabit the foothill and mountain regions of Greece and Turkey, North Africa and Spain, the Crimea and Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and India. Some species of thick-bred sheep live in deserts. Most Eurasian species can be found in the Caucasus, Pamir, Tien Shan and Altai. In addition, mountain sheep are widespread in Kamchatka, Transbaikalia and Eastern Siberia, as well as in the mountains of Tibet and the Himalayas. In the North American continent, the natural distribution area of the genus is tied to a narrow strip of Pacific coast stretching from Mexico to Alaska.
The habitat of domestic sheep is practically all continents, with the exception of Antarctica and tropical areas with high humidity. Today, sheep and sheep are bred in all countries of Europe and Asia, in the Americas, New Zealand and Australia.
Animals living in natural conditions are tied to a certain area and never leave it. During the year, wild sheep make seasonal migratory passages, climbing to the summits in the summer months and descending to the valleys during the winter cold. A herd of sheep in the summer has an average of 30 goals, and with the onset of winter, some communities can reach about 1 thousand heads. Usually a female ram with young growth keeps separate from separate groups of males. The peculiarity of herd’s communicative behavior is the constant control over the surrounding situation. An alarm signal received from any member of the herd of sheep is the guide to action for the entire community.
In domestic sheep, unlike wild relatives, herds of a mixed type, and a herd instinct is very developed, requiring the obligatory presence of at least one member of the herd. Sheep, left alone in isolation, are under severe stress.
