In one fairy forest there lived little sheep. Their white skins were so fluffy-fluffy that sometimes it seems as if it is not a lamb walking in the winter forest, but a small ball of snow striding towards you, rounding its blue eyes.
The sheep lived together in small houses, stoked the stove with wood, and in the morning they took hay from the hayloft, which they had prepared for the winter in order to have breakfast.
One day, the sheep learned that there was a winter holiday that heralds the coming of the New Year. How did it come about? One of the snow-white sheep got lost in the forest and came across a village where people lived. Approaching the village hut, she saw through the dim window a Christmas tree, which the children were decorating with colorful balls and garlands. The lamb, watching the magic happening in the room of the village house, decided to tell the other sugar lambs about it if she managed to get to her little hut. She watched people for a long time, eavesdropped on their conversations. She saw how the children's mother takes out sweet pies from the oven, how dad, hiding in the entryway, makes gifts from wood for them, and realized that all these preparations and fuss are associated with the onset of the holiday, which happens once a year, and this holiday wears the name "New Year".
Of course, the lamb found her home and, happily hugging her relatives who were worried about her all this time, told them about how people decorate the Christmas tree, how they prepare for the coming of the holiday, preparing sweets and gifts. The snow-white sheep, having listened carefully to their fluffy friend, also decided to celebrate the New Year.
But, how and, most importantly, how to decorate the Christmas tree? The lambs did not have multi-colored glass balls that reflected the light falling on them with rainbow reflections ... The lambs did not have tinsel, which makes the Christmas tree even more slender and beautiful ... They did not have garlands with lamps of different colors ... they decided not to celebrate the winter holiday at all, as one of them, the one who got lost in the forest and accidentally went out to the settlement of people, offered to decorate the tree with fruits, and instead of a star, put on an old cuckoo clock and a pendulum on the top of its head.
How happy the sheep were! After all, they just had fruit in store from the last fair! The most nimble of the snow-white sheep immediately brought a bag of fruit from the cellar, and another climbed into the hayloft, where, in addition to hay, old things were carefully kept by the sheep, among which were a pendulum clock and a cuckoo. Instead of tinsel, the sheep decided to decorate the tree with curly wood shavings, which they had previously painted blue.
The sheep did not cut down the Christmas tree, as people do before decorating it, but they dressed up the decoration of the New Year's holiday right in the forest, delighting not only their little sheep-children, but also other inhabitants of the forest. The sheep loved nature and appreciated every tree that grew in the forest, so they did not cut down the Christmas tree. The fluffy branches of a beautiful green tree, even in winter, were decorated with fruits tied to them with multi-colored ribbons.
New Year has arrived. The snow-white lambs spun a round dance near the Christmas tree dressed up for the holiday, after which they gave each other gifts and hugged merrily. After the holiday, happy and contented sheep went to their little houses to rest.
"Draw me a lamb!" - The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Sheep physiology
Interestingly enough, sheep have the same rectangular pupils as octopuses. In addition to these animals, the mongoose and the goat also have rectangular eyepieces.
Physiologically, sheep are unable to perceive depth and try to avoid shadows and sharp contrasts between dark and light. They always try to move in the direction of the light.
Lamb peas are often referred to as sheep dung, which are oval in shape and do not stick together.
Sheep have a very good memory and are able to plan for the future.
Sheep have keen hearing. Extremely frightened by loud noises. They spend a third of their lives in a state of "thoughtfulness" and demand peace and quiet. Running away from danger, a sheep may accidentally fall on its back, and if it is not helped, rise or roll over, then, lying on its back for a long time, it may die.
Sheep do not like to walk in water or pass through narrow openings. They prefer to move upwind and uphill than downwind and downhill.
The newborn lamb recognizes its mother by her voice. Sheep very often produce twins.
A sheep is a herd animal, it does not feel well and even experiences severe stress if it lives alone. The level of anxiety goes away if she sees other sheep nearby.
Sheep in mythology and religion
One of the characters in ancient Greek mythology is Krius - a ram with a golden fleece, who was considered the son of Poseidon and Theophanes. He was sacrificed to the god of war, Ares. It is known from mythology that he had the ability to fly. It was on it that Frix and Gella went to Colchis. According to Hecateus, he had the ability to speak in a human voice, encouraging Phrixus, he himself ordered to sacrifice himself to the gods.
The historical interpretation of this event suggests that Krius was the mentor of Phrix, who managed to deliver Phrix to Colchis (Asia) by ship, and Gella, not surviving, died on the way. The Kriya sacrificed their skin to the gods. Then his skin was gilded and hung in the temple. According to Eratosthenes, the ram himself took off his golden skin, gave it to Frix and ascending to the sky, became one of the constellations. The constellation Aries was named by the Greeks precisely in honor of Kriya, from whose skin the Golden Fleece was obtained.
The horns of a ram were considered by the people of Ancient Asia to be a powerful magical artifact. So, in ancient Egyptian iconography, the main gods (Khnum - the creator of people, Amon - the sun god) and some of the rulers of Egypt were depicted in the form of a man with a ram's head. And although many adult rams sort things out with the help of large twisted horns, colliding with each other at high speed, for some reason the bighorn sheep do not want to do this.
Sheep also deserve frequent mention in Christianity. The flock of Catholic priests is often compared to obedient sheep. In the Bible, sheep are mentioned at least 200 times. In the New Testament, people are compared to sheep, and Jesus is compared to the Shepherd and Shepherd. "The Good Shepherd leads them home And the Lord their God will save them on that day, like sheep, His people." Some Christian saints patronize the shepherds, and some the sheep. Jesus Christ is often depicted as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
In Slavic mythology, the ram is associated with death. According to the ancient Russian belief, after death, suicides turn into rams, which the devil harnesses to his cart. They said about suicides: "Damn the ram."
In Madagascar, to this day, sheep are not eaten, since the beliefs of the aborigines assume that the souls of their ancestors are embodied in them.
Sheep in predictions
In fortune telling (scapulimantia), the ram's shoulder is used as the main tool for predicting the fate of a person. In English, a special expression has even survived, which literally means: "to read by the scapula." In the process of divination, the right shoulder of lamb, boiled in water and peeled from the remains of meat and cartilage, is held over an open fire until the bone is cracked. After that, the sage proceeds to "study" the results. The longest longitudinal crack, designated as the "lifeline", is chosen as the basis. Transverse cracks lying to the right of the main line foreshadow joyful events in a person's life; on the left - obstacles and bad omens. The black spot is a sign of death, and the closer it is to the "life line", the faster a person can die.
Sheep in astronomy
Aries is the vernal equinox. This is one (March 21) of the most significant days of the year on Earth. It is from this day that summer time begins in the Northern Hemisphere. Many peoples, including the Slavs, celebrated the New Year on this very day.
Domestication of the sheep
It seems that people and sheep have been inseparable from time immemorial, but this is not the case. Like other types of domestic animals, the sheep was originally a wild animal. The sheep was domesticated by people about 6-8 thousand years ago, according to scientists, in the territory of modern Turkey.
After DNA studies were carried out, it became that domesticated sheep have an equal number of chromosomes only with a mouflon. It is believed that short-tailed sheep originated from mouflons, fat-tailed and long-tailed breeds, including fine-woolen ones, from argali, and modern fat-tailed sheep from argali.
From sheep, a person gets wool, meat, skin, milk and cheese (feta cheese). Sheep meat is called mutton. Castrated rams are called valukhs.
Sheep breeding is one of the most important branches of animal husbandry. Sheep breeding is practiced in many countries and plays a significant role in the economy of many countries. The largest numbers of sheep are currently in countries such as China (144 million heads) and Australia (98 million).
Many people like to wrap themselves up in warm clothes knitted from natural wool. And this is not surprising, because the main property of wool is heat retention. Scientists are still not able to synthetically reproduce raw materials as a substitute for natural merino wool. Every year at the Golden Kipa auction, elite fabrics are created from this wool. The extremely thin (18-19 micron thick) merino wool is especially appreciated.
Unlike goats, they quickly get used to new owners and places of residence.
If sheep graze in an open, unenclosed area, then they begin to huddle together and do not move one step away from each other, but if they see a fence, they feel safe and graze serenely.
Livestock breeders classify sheep according to their tail type. The tails of long-tailed sheep are quite long and are capable of storing an adequate supply of fat with good nutrition. Therefore, farmers sometimes attach small carts or sleds to such a tail so that it does not accidentally peel off, dragging along the ground and stones.
For one shearing with an adult healthy sheep, approximately 10 kg of wool is sheared.
Rams and sheep have an interesting ability to remember the image of their shepherd. During the movement of the general herd, driven to the watering place, several flocks of sheep are mixed. However, if the shepherd calls his sheep, then his flock leaves the water and goes to graze in the pasture. The reason that someone else's ram or sheep has wandered into the herd is ear or eye disease. The sheep always follow the shepherd, and it is not the shepherd who drives them behind.
In winter, if the sheep see a standing shepherd, they surround him with a dense ring, but as soon as he crouches, they begin to scatter and it is likely that they will freeze and die from hypothermia.
Sheep have little defense against predators; they can only flee quickly or group together into one flock. Therefore, shepherds use dogs to gather all the sheep into the flock. Sheep instinctively mistake the dog for a predator, and gather for protection, trying to protect themselves.
Sheep breeds
The average lifespan of a sheep depends on its breed. The urial breed has the shortest lifespan (6 years). Long-livers among sheep can be called bighorn sheep, which at home can live up to 24 years.
Mouflons or mountain rams are one of the few large mammals that live on the mountain slopes and go up to 5000 meters above sea level. They prefer rocks and scree. Although most of the time they graze in alpine meadows, at any slightest danger they hide among the rocks. Animals are extremely shy and easily abandon their habitable places, becoming wandering, and change their usual paths.
In the mountains of Central and Central Asia, including in the south of Siberia, at altitudes from 2400 to 2800 meters above sea level, you can find Arkhara or mountain sheep, or argali (Latin Ovis ammon). Sheep of this species have chic and very heavy horns. Some representatives of the argali carry horns up to 35 kg in weight. In our country, he lives in remote mountainous areas and is listed in the Red Book.
There are quite expensive breeds of sheep, the cost of one copy of which reaches 2,000,000 dollars.
Sheep hybrids
There are known cases of crossing sheep with other types of animals. We are talking about hybrids obtained as a result of crossing a goat and a ram. For example, in 2000 in Botswana, a ram and a goat were crossed as a result of long-term joint keeping. The animal was named "Toast of Botswana". A ram and a goat have a different number of chromosomes - 54 and 60. Therefore, in most cases, their offspring are most often stillborn. The surviving hybrid managed to inherit the traits of both of its parents at once. He had long hair like a sheep, and his legs were of a goat. The animal had a heavy ram body. At the age of five, his weight was 93 kilograms (considering that the average weight of an adult ram is 53 ± 13.83 kg). The animal had 57 chromosomes. The hybrid was very active, had an increased libido, and was completely sterile. At the age of 10 months he was castrated.
In New Zealand, there is a known case of the birth of a female hybrid, and also from a goat and a ram, the number of chromosomes was also 57. This hybrid was also sterile.
The most interesting fact is that, in France, a similar hybrid was able to give new offspring from a ram. One fetus was stillborn, and the other was alive, male and had 54 chromosomes.
In the Nizhny Novgorod region, Irina Mikhailovna Nemesh in her personal farm managed to get offspring from a goat and a sheep. She gave her hybrids a name - "basly" (a combination of the words rams and goats). The hybrids grew somewhat larger than the sheep. Adult basles looked like sheep in appearance, their wool was similar to the wool of Caucasian shepherd dogs, the undercoat was thinner, and shed in the spring, like a goat. Of the twelve basle heads, only three were males. Despite infertility, they had increased libido.
Sheep incidents
In the coastal town of Helgoysund, Norway, residents and tourists alike could see a rather ridiculous sight. Catching a horn on an electric wire and thus, being in a suspended state, a ram bleated, which is urine. This happened at a height of 6 meters from the ground, while he did not receive current discharges. The probable reason for how he managed to get the ram there is next. The animal peacefully nibbled the grass at the top of the hill and accidentally caught on the wire, and then simply rolled under its own weight, along the wire from the hill. The witnesses began to rescue the poor fellow. It turned out to be a daunting task. The ram kicking in horror did not allow the rope loops to be thrown over itself. Only an hour later, the animal was able to be lowered to the ground safe and sound.
Sheep in science
The first cloned animal in the world is a sheep named Dolly. She was reproduced from a cell taken from her own breast. Ian Wilmut, the leader of the research group, in an attempt to come up with an association to the mammary glands, remembered the breasts of the famous American country singer, Dolly Parton. However, few people know that 277 defective clones were destroyed before the experiment on cloning a mammal from somatic (nonsexual) cells ended successfully.
Sheep in people's lives
“Oh sheep, so tame and unpretentious in food. They become so greedy and unbridled that they devour the people themselves, devastate and deserted fields, houses and cities, ”wrote Thomas More in his work“ Utopia ”, describing the events that took place in England in the 17th century during the rise of capitalism. The mass eviction of defenseless peasants from their occupied lands due to the fact that the sheep belonging to the future bourgeoisie had nowhere to graze, led to the mass extermination of the population. According to historians, the population of "good old" England fell from 7% to 30%.
Counting sheep is quite a tedious task as there are many of them in the flock. Monotonous calculations dull a person's attention and drive him into a meditative state. This is why we are so often told to count sheep if we cannot sleep.
Sheep in linguistics
The catch phrase in our language "stared like a ram at a new gate" does not refer to sheep at all, as many believe. In ancient times, the warriors of the Assyrians, and then the Romans, during the storming of enemy cities and fortresses, broke the gates with the help of a heavy log with a metal head in the form of a ram's head.
In our speech, we often use the word combination "white crow" to designate a person who differs in behavior or in some other way from a certain designated group of people. In European languages, the analogue of this expression is the idiomatic expression "black sheep". At the same time, the Europeans, pronouncing this phrase, also indicate the undesirability of finding such an individual in this group. In this aspect, the idiom is very close to other Russian expressions - "black sheep".
The medieval French comedy has an episode where a wealthy clothier sues a shepherd who stole his sheep. During the meeting, the clothier, in a fit of anger, forgets about the shepherd and reproaches his lawyer, who did not pay him in the past for 6 cubits of cloth. The judge interrupts his speech with the words: "Let's go back to our rams." Subsequently, they became winged.
In the Russian language there are many sayings with the mention of sheep. Examples:
From a black sheep, at least a tuft of wool. Rotten apple injures its neighbors.
Sheep in art
The sheep is seen as a symbol of meekness and humility.
Monument "Black Sheep" in Savonlinna, London, there is a sculpture "Shepherd and Sheep".
Sheep Station is the name for the 25 statues erected at a gas station on the west side of New York, Chelsea, thanks to the state art program Getty Station. The epoxy and bronze installation was created by the hands of Michael Schvo and Pavel Casmin, who decided to reimagine the cartoon characters of the French artist François-Xavier Lalan.
In the cartoon "Smeshariki", the ram (one of the races of the cartoon) has curly light purple hair, purple horns and hooves.
Sheep records
A ram named Shrek once managed to escape from the farm where he grew up. For 6 years he wandered in the mountains. However, he was subsequently found. It was not easy to recognize him. The fact is that over the years of wandering, he has grown with wool in earnest. After his capture, the farmer cut off 27 kg of wool from him.
However, the record for the number of clipped wool does not belong to Shrek. On the state farm "Red Shepherd" in the Kherson region (Ukraine), 31.7 kg were sheared from just one ram per year. At the same time, the ram's weight reached 130 kg.
Sheep are a domesticated form of wild mountain ram. Their ancestor is the only species - the mouflon, other types of mountain sheep have never been tamed. In a broad sense, the word sheep is used to denote domesticated rams in general, in a narrow sense it is used only to denote females. Accordingly, males in the household are called rams in the same way as wild ancestors.
Grazing in the highlands of Scotland, these domesticated sheep are very similar to their wild ancestors.
The domestication of sheep came a little later than the domestication of goats. This happened about 6-7 thousand years ago. The center of domestication was Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Iran. Initially, sheep were tamed and bred in the mountains and foothills, but they turned out to be very plastic (changeable) and quickly mastered new climatic conditions. These animals tolerated drought especially well, so they soon spread across the deserts and steppes of Asia. Together with goats, they became very popular in the Mediterranean, where they were the most widespread type of livestock. From here, the sheep came to Western Europe and again gained universal popularity here. In the Middle Ages, so many sheep were raised that this was reflected not only in the economies of countries, but also in their culture. England became a recognized center of selection, together with English colonists, sheep were brought to the USA, South America, Australia and New Zealand. They are found everywhere in large numbers, but the last two countries have become the new world center for sheep breeding. Australia now contains the world's largest livestock of these animals.
A herd of merino in the pasture.
What was the reason for such a general love of man for these animals? First, it is unpretentious. As mountain dwellers, sheep are accustomed to eating meager food and are completely undemanding to feed. They eat over 500 types of herbs, and besides, they can eat leaves, branches of shrubs, thorny and bitter plants. They need relatively little water to digest their food, and they use it very efficiently. The special structure of the teeth and jaw allows the sheep to cut the stems to the very root, so they literally gnaw pastures to the ground. Sheep graze with pleasure and benefit for themselves on plots grazed by cows and horses. But after them, other animals on the pasture have nothing to do. Secondly, sheep are very healthy and hardy animals. Physiological diseases are rare for them, and they tolerate long transitions perfectly. Sheep do not require special attention, easily controlled, not aggressive, compact. Moreover, they are not afraid of cold weather. In most cases, special premises are not even needed for their maintenance: in warm countries, sheep are in pastures around the clock and all year round, in countries with moderately cold winters, a shed or an uninsulated barn is enough for them. However, there are areas in the world where there are very few sheep. These are humid tropical areas. Fear of dampness is perhaps the only drawback that limits their distribution.
In winter, sheep get food from under the snow. The dense wool not only protects them from blizzards, but in some cases can even be waterproof to rain.
The behavior of these animals is very specific. Sheep are considered stupid, timid and stubborn, and this is the rare case where prejudice is largely justified. Indeed, in comparison with other domestic animals, sheep are inconsiderate, incurious, and psychologically non-contact. An attempt to achieve mutual understanding from them is doomed to failure. While grazing, they are not interested in what is happening around them, paying attention only to the behavior of their comrades. If dogs, cats, horses adjust their behavior to the specific conditions and requirements of a person, then sheep invariably use several simple reflexes, which are worth a lot of work to change. In a new environment, they learn slowly, it takes them a long time to change their habits. No wonder they say, "looks like a ram at a new gate." Interestingly, the brain of domestic sheep is smaller than that of their wild ancestors, and mountain rams in their natural environment behave much more actively. People perceive the inability of sheep to quickly adapt to a new environment as stubbornness.
The lambs kneel down to suck the milk.
However, the stupidity of the sheep is exaggerated and misinterpreted. The fact is that they have a highly developed herd instinct, much stronger than that of their wild ancestors. Moreover, the psychological comfort of sheep is directly proportional to the size of their group. If the majority of animals, even herd ones, do not tolerate overcrowding, then sheep in huge groups feel great, in small ones they feel good, and alone they feel bad. To some extent, their brothers can be replaced by other animals (there is a case when a lonely sheep made friends with ducklings), but if the animal is completely isolated, then it will be under severe stress. In this regard, the sheep do their best to stay closer to each other. It is this hypertrophied herd that is the cause of the notorious sheep's stupidity. To understand how strongly the instinct to follow fellows replaces logic for sheep, it is enough to give such an example. When a large flock of sheep is herded into the sheepfold, the animals in front pass through the gate and rest against the fence of the corral. Under the onslaught of those coming from behind, they turn around and walk along the fence, they continue this maneuver until all members of the group enter the corral. At this moment, those who entered the first run into the tail of the latter and ... seeing their fellows, they begin to follow them! Thus, the herd closes in a ring and begins a circular movement. Sheep follow each other, regardless of where they are, experienced shepherds know that such a walk can last for several hours until exhaustion. To stop it, the shepherds have to enter the corral and push the sheep aside so that they stop their orderly movement.
Sheep walk along the pasture, stretching out in a chain: each subsequent one is guided by the one who follows in front.
The cowardice of sheep is also well known. Unlike other domestic animals, they do not attempt to defend themselves, they never even intercede for their offspring. In general, these animals are very sensitive to loud sounds, they are afraid of the dark and confined spaces. But all these shortcomings of behavior are at the same time their advantages. One shepherd can cope with the thousandth flock of sheep, he just needs to control the leading animal. In some cases, the sheep can be safely left unattended. To do this, only one ram is tied, and the rest of the herd remain next to him and do not leave, despite the freedom of movement. For all the difficulties of training, sheep learn several commands, remember the shepherds and treat them with confidence bordering on self-sacrifice. Therefore, for a long time, the sheep served as a symbol of meekness, complaisance, kindness. It is the sheep, not the more intelligent and mischievous goat, that the Bible identifies with righteousness. The image of flocks of sheep became a common cliche in poetry and painting of the Middle Ages. Troubadours and poets glorified the peaceful shepherd's life surrounded by sheep as the ideal of harmony in life, this style in art is called pastoral.
Black-headed sheep in the moorlands of Scotland.
Domestic sheep belongs to the bovids family and belongs to the genus of rams. This is a small ruminant domesticated by man in ancient times. Currently, there are more than a billion representatives of this species on Earth. Domestic sheep are popular due to their thick wool and edible meat. Such meat is called mutton, and wool is called fleece. In addition, milk is obtained from animals and feta cheese is prepared from it. They also get cooking fat and skins - sheepskin. Sheepskin is used to make sheepskin coats, which once again emphasizes the high commercial value of sheep. These animals are kept in kennels.
There are more than 200 breeds, and therefore representatives of the species differ in mass and size. In general, females weigh 45-100 kg, and males or rams 45-160 kg. One male Suffolk breed has reached a weight of 247 kg. The height at the withers is 55-100 cm. The body length is 70-110 cm. The horns are developed in males. They have a spiral shape. Females have only small horns. Mature domestic sheep have 32 teeth. The lips are very mobile.
There are lacrimal glands under the eyes. They secrete a greasy, odorous mass - a secret. There are similar hoof glands between the toes. The secret gives the animals their characteristic odor. The color of the coat directly depends on the breed. It ranges from white to dark brown and black. If the coat is thin, it is usually white in color. The thick coat has a downy undercoat. Fine-wool sheep have no undercoat. Usually, 30 kg of wool is sheared from one sheep per year.
Reproduction and life expectancy
A group of females unites around one ram. He is either chosen by the breeder, or the ram himself establishes dominance through physical influence on other males. In females, puberty occurs between 6 and 8 months of age. Males become sexually mature between 4 and 6 months of age. The gestational period lasts about 5 months. In most breeds, females give birth to 1 to 2 lambs. Within an hour after birth, the lambs are able to stand. Young people are vaccinated at the age of 10 to 12 weeks. It is usually performed against Clostridia. Domestic sheep live 22-23 years.
Behavior and nutrition
Scientists estimate the intelligence of representatives of the species lower than that of pigs and at the same level as cattle. These animals can recognize human faces and remember them for years. They are easy to train. There is a rigid hierarchy among domestic sheep. Dominance is achieved through physical influence. Leaders become more aggressive and strong. For rams, the size of their horns is of great importance. The larger they are, the more aggressive the male is.
Domestic sheep feed from dawn to dusk. At this time, they graze, and the ideal pastures for them are forbs and legumes. In general, any plant foods are included in the diet. Fruits, acorns, tomatoes, rhubarb, potatoes, etc. are eaten. During the winter months, animals can survive by eating one hay.
Comparison of Sheep to Goats
The goat and domestic sheep are the oldest domesticated animals. There are hybrids between them. But this is rare, and the hybrids are sterile. The males of the two species differ in that the goats are attracted by the odor emanating from the females during the rut. The rams do not have this.
Introduction
Long ago, primitive man found his first domestic animal - a dog. And the next was tamed the wild European boar - the progenitor of all our breeds of domestic pigs. Boars are cautious animals, but sometimes they visit a person's dwelling to dig in the garden, on arable land. Perhaps, even during the New Stone Age, wild pigs, like wolves or jackals, approached the dwellings of people. And primitive hunters guessed that young piglets can be tamed. Once a primitive man saw a goat feeding a cub with milk. Perhaps for the sake of this white liquid - milk - people caught a nursing goat and brought it to the camp. They began to milk the goats and collect milk for food. A tamed goat produced more milk than a wild goat, as it continued to be milked even after the kid grew up. For a long time, the goat was the only animal that gave milk. The history of the domestic sheep is just as ancient. The original ancestors of all current breeds were wild rams, mouflons and argali, domesticated and domesticated in Asia and the Mediterranean. What did a man gain by making a sheep a domestic animal? - We can say that everything you need for life: fat, meat, milk, dairy products, sheepskin, leather, lanolin, but most importantly - wool and woolen products. Thanks to the sheep, it became possible for people to develop the desert and semi-desert regions of the planet. Goats and sheep are commonly referred to as small ruminants. Bulls and cows are cattle. They were also tamed in antiquity, but much later. Wild bulls - tours that lived in Europe, Asia, Africa, attracted people with their strength. It was they who became the progenitors of all breeds of our cows. But only in historical times, cows began to eat milk. And before that, cattle served as a traction force, helping the farmer in his work. Tur was completely exterminated by man as a result of hunting and plowing the steppes where his herds lived. In ancient times, the inhabitants of India tamed the Asiatic buffalo, and the inhabitants of the highlands of Asia tamed the wild shaggy bull yak. And today we probably could not exist without all these domestic animals. In this collection, the material about domestic animals is summarized: the history of their origin from wild ancestors, interesting information about the peculiarities of their lifestyle and habits, poems, riddles, proverbs and sayings. I hope that this material will help teachers and parents expand and systematize children's ideas about human friends, develop curiosity and cognitive interest.
"HOW DO YOU LIVE?"
Horses, horses, how are you?
Horses, horses, what are you chewing?
It's good while we live
But, excuse me, do not shit,
And we gnaw dexterously
Fresh carrots.
How are you kittens?
What, kittens, are you chewing?
It's good while we live
But, excuse me, do not gnaw.
We drink little by little
Milk from a bowl.
Birds, birds, how do you live?
Birds, birds, what are you drinking?
It's good while we live
We drink rain drops
And we sing songs to you
In the mornings and evenings.
Goat
The ancestors of domestic goats were wild goats - the Winehorns and Bezoar. Wild goats are inhabitants of rocky mountains. The gorges serve as a refuge and a feeding place for them. They jump well and, in case of danger, quickly go up to the tops of the mountains. Domestic animals have retained a great deal of similarity with their ancestors. These are coloration, beard, solid horns, the ability to move along a steep slope and even climb trees.
For the addiction of goats to eating foliage, harming vineyards and vegetables in many countries, they have earned a bad reputation. But they also do a lot of good. For a long time, doctors have recommended goat milk for children and sick people, since it is easily absorbed by the body. People who are allergic to cow's milk usually tolerate goat well. The goat was called the cow of the poor because of its unpretentiousness and low productivity.
Goats do not require special care, but they are too attached to their owners and squeamish, which makes it difficult to take care of themselves. Among them there are animals with quirks. If during the meal something from the food falls to the ground, the goat will not eat it, it will not take a crumb from unclean hands. Goats cannot stand life locked up, without walks.
The main products of goat breeding are milk, cheese, meat, fluff (mohair) and leather.
Poetry
Ringing a bell
She ran away from me.
The meadow melts in the evening darkness
Where to look for her ... IU - IU!
Riddles
* With a beard will be born,
Nobody is surprised.
* With a beard, not an old man,
With horns, not a bull,
Milking, not a cow,
Lyko fights,
And he does not weave bast shoes.
Proverbs and sayings
- Love is blind.
- You can get along with a goat, if you stroke the fur.
- Do not teach the goat: she will pull it off herself.
Horse
The horse has played a vital role in human life since ancient times. The ancestor of the domestic horse is the tarpan, which not so long ago lived in the southern Russian steppes. A detailed description of it and even photographs have been preserved. The tarpans were gray and mouse-colored with a dark strap on the back, dark legs and a standing mane. Their tail was long, but not thick. Local residents pursued and exterminated tarpans, as they trampled crops and destroyed haystacks harvested in the steppe. Captured tarpans did not tolerate captivity well and quickly perished. It was not possible to curb and accustom them.
What kind of work was the horse not doing? She fought, transported mail, passengers and various goods, plowed, harrowed, sowed, mowed, grazed other animals, participated in competitions, supplied meat, treated people with medicinal kumys. Kumis - fermented mare's milk - is a highly nutritious dietary drink. It has long been called a heroic drink.
The horse can move quickly and carry large loads. They are shy, they have an amazing memory for places and objects. A horse can hear better than a cat, a dog's sense of smell is thinner, it is more sensitive to the passage of time and weather changes.
The most important and interesting "detail" of a horse is the hoof. And not only performance and sporting success, but also the health of the horse depends on his condition. To prevent injuries to the limbs, the horse is shod. After a long rest, horses carry out a kind of warm-up - stretch, shake their skin, take deep breaths. They carefully guard and protect their foals.
Whinnying is the most common way horses communicate. There are countries where horses are given special attention, celebrating - "Horse Day".
Poetry
At a gallop and playing with a mane,
He gallops fast, beautifully.
You will not catch up, you will not reach….
Look how it jumps: Y-GO-GO!
Proverbs and sayings
- I couldn't hold on to the mane - you can't hold on to the tail.
- A horse is a gift and a spoon is a gift.
- Do not chase the horse with a whip, but chase the horse with oats.
- Nice horse, but eats dead grass.
- Through force and the horse does not gallop.
- Where a horse with a hoof goes, there is a cancer with a claw.
- The horse is running - the earth is trembling.
- Either feel sorry for the stern, or the horse.
Mystery
Not a blacksmith, not a carpenter,
And the first worker in the village. (Horse)
Cat
The cat has changed little since it was domesticated by humans, and is very similar to its ancestor. The ancestor of all domestic cats is the Nubian wild cat, she still lives in Africa.
The ancient Egyptians appreciated the cat's remarkable rodent-killing ability. Therefore, she was numbered among the sacred animals. At that time, cats lived in luxurious temples, eating the best food.
In Russia, a cat has always been the personification of home comfort and well-being. Of all pets, only cats enjoy freedom of action. The cat is both gullible and cunning, affectionate and predatory, domestic and wild. She can observe several mouse holes at once and catch the barely noticeable movements of their inhabitants. It turns out that the cat tribe is attracted to classical music.
Cats grow and form quickly. The structure of the cat's paws is interesting. The animal retracts the sharp claws so that when running on any surface it touches it only with the pads of its paws and fingers and the claws do not break or dull. The tail of the cat is extremely mobile and, in addition to the characteristics of the state of the animal, plays the role of a stabilizer when falling and jumping. Cats take it very painfully if touched, and hate to be pulled on. Falling even from a great height, cats do not break. During the fall, she presses her legs and tail to the body and flies, rotating, thereby slowing down the fall, then straightens her limbs and stands on her paws.
Cats have their own language, consisting of more than 15 "words" and many intonations.
The cat is fraught with many mysteries. She can anticipate certain events. She orients herself not only in a confined space, but also in vast territories. Mom is a cat very caring: she leaves the offspring only to eat, but she is constantly on the alert, ready, at any moment she will rush to her children. Adult cats are fed twice a day. She herself takes care of the constant purity of her body, licking her fur every day. By sharpening its claws, a cat often ruins furniture. It is impossible to trim the claws (only in old and sedentary cats), so small kittens can be trained to sharpen them on special boards.
Cats are useful, loyal, loving, clean, relatively unpretentious, highly developed, "intelligent", beautiful animals.
A person should not betray his little friends, leave them homeless and without food. Before you bring home a kitten, you need to seriously think about its future fate. For a cat to be happy, it must be loved.
Poetry
"Kitty"
Kitten messing around
With a ball:
It will creep up to him
Then into a ball
Will start to throw
Will push him
Will jump to the side ...
Can't
Guess
That there is not a mouse here
A tangle.
"Kitty"
I found a kitten in the forest.
He meowed thinly, thinly,
He meowed and shivered.
Maybe he was beaten
Or they forgot to let in the house,
Or did he run away himself?
It was a rainy day since the morning,
Puddles are gray everywhere ...
So be it, unfortunate animal,
I will help your trouble!
I took him home
I fed my fill ...
My kitten soon became
It's a sight for sore eyes!
Wool is like velvet
The tail is a pipe ...
How good-looking
(E. Blagina)
Riddles
* Eyes, mustache, tail, claws,
And everything is washed cleaner. (Cat)
* All furry,
Four legs,
The mustache herself,
Two yachts under the hat. (Cat)
* I can wash cleanly
Not with water, but with a tongue.
Meow! How often do I dream
A saucer filled with warm milk. (Cat)
Proverbs and sayings
Every mouse is afraid of a cat.
When the cat leaves, the mice come out to warm up.
The cat is only for mice and is brave.
Every day is not Sunday.
The cat smells whose meat it has eaten.
In the cold, the cat does not catch mice.
Dog
The Indian wolf is the ancestor of most dog breeds: cops, hounds, greyhounds, all kinds of terriers and lapdogs, spitz, poodles. And our northern wolf is the progenitor of huskies and shepherd dogs. The primitive tribes were the first to domesticate the dog. People and wolves lived side by side and got their food in one way - by hunting. Wolves strove to stay closer to people, counting on their share in the event of a successful fight with a large beast. In turn, the hunters who found the wolf cubs brought them into the house, leaving them to live "about a rainy day." But a man very quickly realized that, in addition to meat, a tamed wolf has one very valuable quality - it can be a good helper for a hunter. The dog did a great service to man, especially at the beginning of his formation. Therefore, it is no coincidence that they say that "the dog brought a man into the world."
The dog has an excellent sense of smell, its nose plays the role of a "refrigerator". In hot weather, animals inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
The dog is smart, she often knows which medications will help her to improve her health. She is a natural healer. Her saliva has bactericidal properties, the dog heals by licking.
The dog is humanitarian. She has an extraordinary love for children.
The dog is devoted to man, emotional, jealous, selfless, loves music. Many scientific discoveries are related to the dog. The dog took an active part in space exploration. Now they began to be used in the mine rescue service, for herding sheep, in border protection, in water rescue, etc. In some countries, monuments have been erected to dogs for their dedication and dedication.
Cynology - the science of dogs - is the foundation of modern dog breeding.
Today there are about 400 dog breeds in the world. They are divided into three groups - service, hunting and indoor decorative.
Raising a dog is a difficult and painstaking business. Caring for a dog's health is, first of all, a measure of preventing human diseases. It is not hygienic to allow four-legged animals on the sofa, bed, armchair, kitchen, and also to hug and kiss them.
A stray dog is a friend who has been betrayed and driven to bitterness and despair.
Subtle instinct, the ability to foresee the approaching danger, intelligence and courage, boundless faith and devotion to their owner put the dog in first place among man's four-legged friends.
Poetry
I have a learned dog
A dog named Watchdog.
If I'm wrong about something,
He barks loudly: Woof-Woof!
Proverbs and sayings
Beat the dog by scolding the chicken.
A small dog is a puppy until old age.
Not every dog bites that barks.
A dog in the manger does not eat itself and does not give to others.
The dog does not know about the wealth of its owner.
A skinny dog is a shame for the owner.
Riddles
* He is friends with the owner,
The house is guarded.
Lives under the porch
And the tail is in a ring. (Dog)
* Does not speak, does not sing,
And who goes to the owner -
She lets you know. (Dog)
Cow
Cows are artiodactyl ruminants. Their ancestor is the wild bull "Tur". These are large and strong animals weighing more than 800 kilograms, with a high withers, a huge head, decorated with powerful horns protruding forward. Long coat of black or dark brown color, especially thick on the forehead, giving the aurochs a rather formidable appearance.
By the beginning of the domestication of cattle, man had already tamed, kept pigs, sheep, and goats. He received meat from pigs, from sheep and goats - meat, milk, processed the resulting wool and leather. In terms of strength, the bull is many times superior to a person, and with its help it was possible to plow the land for crops. However, the cows not only plowed, but also supplied people with milk. True, people did not go for this right away - after all, the cow's milk was then given a little, and the calves needed it.
When the need for the draft power of cattle disappeared, they began to breed them mainly for meat, and they also began to modify milk and dairy products were obtained: cream, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt. At first, people increased the number of livestock, but it is impossible to increase it indefinitely. And the man began to "remodel" and improve the cows even more actively.
Milk is an irreplaceable food product, especially in the nutrition of children. For the formation of one liter of milk, about 500 liters of blood passes through the udder; it is necessary for the formation of milk. Cattle have an amazing ability to process and transform grass, hay and other plant-based feed into meat and milk.
Poetry
"Cow"
Dawn walks through the meadows,
Milk brings us.
Zorka would live in the tower,
And she ... in the barn: MU - Moo!
"Sick cow"
All morning today a cow was sneezing -
She caught a cold, she is not well.
Let's put the cow to bed.
Let's give her the potion as soon as possible.
We measure the temperature with a thermometer -
And the cow will be healthy again.
CZECH FOLK SONG:
Give milk, Burenushka,
At least a little - on the bottom.
Kittens are waiting for me
Small guys.
Give them a spoonful of cream
A little cottage cheese.
Gives everyone health
COW'S MILK !!!
Riddles
* There is a heap in the middle of the yard:
A pitchfork in front and a broom in the back. (Cow)
* Chews grass, sings loudly,
A pitchfork in front, a broom in the back
She ate herbs and gave milk. (Cow)
* Ginger dairy
Chews day and chews night:
After all, the grass is not so easy
Convert to milk. (Cow)
* They drove the horns for a walk in the meadows,
And the horns came in the evening with milk.
(Herd of cows)
Proverbs and sayings
Be a bull on a string.
To beat a cow with a stick - do not drink milk.
Milk on the tongue of the cow.
The cow is black, but her milk is white.
Whose cow mooed, and yours would be silent.
Rabbit
The progenitor of the domestic rabbit is the wild underground rabbit. The custom of raising rabbits at home dates back to ancient times. Even in ancient China, the rabbit was declared a sacred animal. In ancient Greece, altars were erected for rabbits. The Romans kept hares for their delicious meat in so-called hare sanctuaries, but hares did not breed well in captivity, so the Romans were happy to replace them with wild rabbits. Wild rabbits lived and live in burrows, they were kept in cages at home. Now wild and domestic rabbits have settled almost all over the world, there are more than a hundred domestic breeds of rabbits.
In nature, this is a medium-sized animal, similar to a short-eared hare. The hind legs are noticeably shorter than those of hares. The coloration of the upper body is usually brownish-gray, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The belly is white or light gray. The tail is brown-black above, white below.
Wild rabbits live mostly in flocks. They settle mainly in areas with shrubby vegetation - ravines, abandoned quarries. Less common in forests, gardens, parks and very rarely in fields where burrows destroy it. An important, important for rabbits, is the nature of the soil suitable for digging. Their cubs are born naked and blind.
In Russia, rabbits appeared in the 11th century. Particular attention was paid to them in our country after the Second World War. Rabbits are sources of dietary meat, and animal skins are also valuable.
The life span of rabbits is 5 - 7 years. They are very mobile, have a fragile cervical spine. The diet of rabbits should include hay, succulent feed, pellets and a stone for sharpening teeth.
I didn't scold him at all,
But, apparently, he just scared ...
He gnawed carrots in the garden.
With fright, he showed dexterity-
So he flew away through the beds,
And I followed him on the heels.
I love him - very good
A fluffy little lump.
I laughed at him to the point of colic.
Domestic, red-haired, cute rabbit.
Fluffy little animal
Across the apartment skok - po - skok.
This baby has ears
There are peas everywhere on the floor.
Riddles
Fast jump,
Warm fluff
Red eye.
Here's a guess
Whose fluff on sweatshirts
On hats, gloves
Does it suit you guys? (Rabbit)
* Lump of fluff, long ear,
He jumps dexterously, loves carrots.
Proverbs and sayings
The hare is gray: he has already seen troubles.
The hare is not a coward, he takes care of himself.
You can't catch a hare without a dog.
If you chase two hares, you won't catch a single one.
Cowardly like a hare, lascivious like a cat.
You won't be quicker than a hare, and they catch that one too.
Pig
Pigs - belong to the non-ruminant artiodactyl family. The ancestor of domestic pigs was a wild boar that lives in thickets of bushes or reeds. Its ancient name is boar. The amazing ability of the wild boar to easily inhabit a variety of places, perhaps, is primarily due to the fact that it is omnivorous. He almost never has problems with food. He is satisfied with everything: acorns, nuts, seeds, rhizomes, plant bulbs, berries, mushrooms, grass, fruits of wild apples and pears, insect larvae, frogs, small rodents, bird eggs.
Wild pigs (boars), unlike domestic ones, are slender, covered with long brown coarse hair, under which thick fluff grows. They have a very long muzzle (snout) with powerful fangs and a “snout” that wild pigs need to dig the ground. They dig up edible tubers and rhizomes with them. The fingers of the animal's extremities are arranged so that it can overcome swampy places without falling through. The wild boar can swim five to six kilometers.
Unlike wild boars, domestic pigs have short muzzle and legs, and a thick body. Yet they still have the habit of their wild ancestors - digging in the ground and wallowing in puddles.
The pig became the second (after the dog) domestic animal. Wild boars were less afraid of humans than other animals. They were tempted by the crops of various plants, which the ancient tillers began to cultivate. Wild boars were frequent "night thieves", they were fought with, but they stubbornly went to people.
The captured pigs, thanks to their omnivorous nature,
it was not difficult to feed on grazing, they easily adapted to the new way of life. Man began to breed pigs and receive meat from them.
It is very difficult for pigs to live in hot climates as they have limited sweating.
Immediately after birth, the piglets compete for the best place at the mother's udder. Pigs are among the ten smartest animals, they are clean and second only to a cat and a dog. Pigs are used to find drugs, they are perfectly trained in the circus.
The pig has many virtues.
“If the dog is obsequiously submissive, the cat is hypocritical, the monkey is insidious, then the swinish behavior comes from comprehending the situation: it responds to goodness and affection with dedication, diligence, and tries not to remain in debt for insult,” scientists say.
Fable
Lop-eared pig
I made a nest on an oak tree,
Piglets
Exactly sixty,
She let the piglets go
All for little bitches
Piglets squeal
They want to fly.
Flew, flew
And they sat down in the air.
Riddles
* In front - a patch,
There is a hook on the back
In the middle is the back,
On the back there is a bristle (Pig).
* Lies dirty
In a bristly shirt.
Pretzel tail,
Piglet nose,
I'm not sick with anything
And everything groans (Pig)
* There is a penny, but you can't buy anything (Pig).
* The duck has a piglet,
Two pancakes and a pretzel
Shoes without laces on him,
A bristle suit (Piglet).
Proverbs and sayings
- If there were a pig, there would be a bristle.
- At least put a yoke on the pig, everything will not be a horse.
- Put the pig at the table - she and her feet on the table.
- The pig will find dirt
Poetry
"Pig"
Piglet will wash in a puddle
And rushes to dinner
I'll cook bran for her,
She will tell me: HRY-HRYU!
Sheep
The progenitors of domestic sheep are wild rams "mouflon" and "argali". Wild ancestors lived in the valleys, now they live in the mountainous regions of Asia. Even 5-6 thousand years ago, the townspeople of Egypt and Babylon considered a suit made of fine wool as the most fashionable clothes. On pain of death, it was forbidden to take out of the country live fine-wool sheep. In honor of the sheep, the Order of the Golden Fleece was established in the 15th century.
For thousands of years, people have bred many breeds of domestic sheep, little like their wild ancestors. Sheep, unlike other animals, use pasture feed most fully. They are very agile and hardy, can make long walks and use the meager grass cover of desert and semi-desert mountain pastures. Sheep are herd animals. They are very careful and shy. During grazing, they often raise their heads and therefore very quickly notice the danger. Sheep cannot stand up for themselves when predators attack; in herds, fights are occasionally observed, which are more often playful. They have a well-developed motherhood instinct.
From sheep, valuable raw materials for industry are obtained - wool, bush, sheepskin, fat, milk. The most basic product is wool, which is sent to the factory. We dress in woolen dresses, sweaters, hats, socks, trousers, jackets, and other things made of yarn and woolen fabrics. Sheepskins are used to make various fur coats. Smushki - skins of newborn lambs, covered with beautiful patterns of wool twisted in waves.
There are modern "discoveries" made by sheep. For example, they discovered a source of mineral water in the Ural region.
AZERBAIJAN FOLK SONG
Red sheep,
Give the wool a ring
Give, lamb, milk,
The stove will cook the porridge.
GERMAN FOLK SONG
The lamb walked along the path
The stump hurt my legs.
He turned awkwardly
And hurt my head.
And I came across a mote -
I pricked my barrel.
We bandaged him
We gave him medicine.
And the lamb bleats: “Meee!
Call my mom for me!
Poetry
Walking slowly from the river,
She is warm in a fur coat, as in a stove.
She will come to the hut
And he calls me: BE-BE!
"The ram and me"
Four rams in the forest in a clearing
We sat and chewed together the bagels.
The sheep chewed the bagels for three days.
The rams called me for help:
Come and finish the steering wheel as soon as possible,
Otherwise we will sit in the clearing all our lives.
Proverbs and sayings
- The sheep complained to the wolf about the bad life.
- And the wolves are fed, and the sheep are safe.
- They don't beat the wolf because he is gray, but because he ate the sheep.
- Sheep's tears will pour out to the wolf.
- The wool is sheared and the skin is torn.
- With a black sheep, even a tuft of wool.
Riddles
* Thick grasses are entangled,
The meadows have curled up,
And I myself am all curly,
Even a curl of a horn. (Lamb)
* To be on sale on the counter
There were warm sweatshirts
To put on a woolen dress for Nadya,
So that in winter Yusup fur
put on a sheepskin coat.
The seller explains -
We need to raise ...…… .. (Sheep)
* In the mountains, in the valleys
There is a fur coat and a caftan. (Sheep)
* Who is neither in the heat nor in the cold
Will he take off his fur coat? (Sheep)
Literature:
1. Annemarie Vogel; Heinz - Eberhard Schneider
"Tips for cat lovers", Moscow 1987.
2. Rakhmanov A.I. "Home Zoo Corner", Smolensk 1997
3. Gershun V.I. "Conversations about pets", Moscow 1992
4. Dmitriev Yuri "Pets on the planet",
Moscow 1990
5. The Sparrow Magazine 10.03. Publishing house "Karapuz".
6. Oborin V.I. “Guess and Color”, Chusovskaya Printing House 1993.
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