When you think of cutest sheep in the world, the mental image that comes to mind is usually a dirty farm animal standing in a field chewing cud or generally looking like it’s about to die. But the reality is much different; though they may not be as fluffy and cute as alpacas, there are some breeds out there that will melt your heart just by looking at their picture! So here are five cutest sheep in the world:
1. NZ Withers
New Zealand’s Withers seems to have taken inspiration from its distant cousins. Its wool can come in various colors, including white, brown, gray, and black. Its legs are also shorter than usual, making it more huggable than normal sheep. The NZ Withers is known to be docile, friendly, and quiet.
2. Welsh Hill Speckled Face
Welsh Hill Speckled, located in Wales, can also look adorable thanks to its small frame and speckles around the face that makes it seem like it’s wearing a mask! Its wool can come in shades of black or white, but this breed does not produce as much hair as most sheep do, which is why it needs extra care from breeders who are working hard on preserving this species.
3. Jacob
Jacob, a breed known to be playful and intelligent. This breed is also known for its thick wool, which is very valuable market value. The Jacob breed was originally brought over from Britain to the US back when America was still under British rule. It can come in white or black with orange eyes that will melt anyone’s heart!
4. Tunis
The Tunis breed of sheep is excellent as a meat breed because of its fine and sleek wool. You can recognize Tunis from its long face with a distinctive downward slope. The males also have large horns on top of their heads, making them look even more imposing! This particular breed is important because it’s used as a direct ancestor to some other breeds, which means if this breed goes extinct, it will disappear entirely from the animal kingdom. So we really hope people working with these animals are able to preserve them for future generations!
5. Barbado Blackbelly Sheep
Barbado Blackbelly Sheep is small and stocky with black faces, but what really makes it stand out are its four curled horns that almost look like ram’s horns. This breed is relatively new to the world, having been discovered just recently in 1964.