---
title: "What the sources say about the Suffolk Sheep | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "39 claims from the Suffolk Sheep profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/suffolk-sheep-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/suffolk-sheep/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Suffolk Sheep (*Ovis aries*)

> 39 claims from the Suffolk Sheep profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Suffolk Sheep](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/suffolk-sheep/)

## Breed Information. United Suffolk Sheep Association.

https://suffolks.org/breed-information.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A jet-black, wool-free head and legs against a clean white fleece | having jet black, wool-free heads and legs that sharply contrast their clean white fleeces and pink skin |
| an English meat breed | The Suffolk breed, an original English breed ... The Suffolk sheep is a superior producer of lean meat |
| whose lambs can gain more than a pound a day | Suffolk genetics favor lean rapid early growth that can exceed one pound per day and be market ready as early as 3 to 4 months of age |
| An original English breed; its Norfolk Horn ancestors came from the sparse uplands of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire | The Suffolk breed, an original English breed, was the result of crossing Southdown rams on Norfolk Horned ewes ... The upland regions of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridge on the southeastern coast of England are very rugged and forage is sparse. It was this dry, cold and windy area in which the Norfolk breed adapted itself (note: the source's 'Cambridge' names the county region, written as Cambridgeshire) |
| lambs can gain more than a pound (0.45 kg) a day and be market-ready as early as three to four months old | Suffolk genetics favor lean rapid early growth that can exceed one pound per day and be market ready as early as 3 to 4 months of age (note: 0.45 kg is a standard conversion of the source's 'one pound' (1 lb = 0.4536 kg)) |
| The Suffolk, an original English breed, came from crossing Southdown rams with Norfolk Horn ewes | The Suffolk breed, an original English breed, was the result of crossing Southdown rams on Norfolk Horned ewes |
| Southdown rams were crossed with Norfolk Horn ewes | The Suffolk breed, an original English breed, was the result of crossing Southdown rams on Norfolk Horned ewes |
| The Norfolk Horn was a wild, hardy breed from the sparse, windy uplands of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, where it adapted to traveling great distances for food and became very muscular | The Norfolk Horned sheep, now rare, were a wild and hardy breed ... The upland regions of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridge on the southeastern coast of England are very rugged and forage is sparse. It was this dry, cold and windy area in which the Norfolk breed adapted itself to traveling great distances for food, thereby developing a superbly muscular body (note: 'very muscular' for 'superbly muscular'; appears in the body and FAQ 1) |
| The Southdown gave today's Suffolk its meatiness and wool quality, and the cross reduced most of the criticisms sheepmen had of both parent breeds | Today's Suffolk derives its meatiness and quality wool from the old original British Southdown ... sheepmen of that day did not like the long legs, flat sides, nor wild nature of the Norfolk Horned. They noted that Southdowns crossed with Norfolks produced a progeny that reduced most of the criticisms of both breeds (note: appears in the body and FAQ 1) |
| The Suffolk was a recognized breed by 1810, and the English Suffolk Society was founded in 1886 to register it | Although the Suffolk was a recognized breed as early as 1810, the flock book was not closed until much later ... In 1886, the English Suffolk Society was organized to provide registry service (note: appears in the body and FAQ 1) |
| The breed did not reach the American West until 1919, when the English Suffolk Sheep Society donated three ewes and two rams to the University of Idaho | The Suffolk did not make its appearance in the western states until 1919. Three ewes and two rams had been donated by the English Suffolk Sheep Society to the University of Idaho |
| The breed standard calls for a head and legs free of wool and covered in fine black hair, set against a clean white fleece | Suffolk Breed Standard ... having jet black, wool-free heads and legs that sharply contrast their clean white fleeces ... The Suffolk head is free of wool both at the poll and cheeks, is covered in fine black hair (note: legs: see the next claim) |
| a head and legs free of wool and covered in fine black hair | The feet and legs should be set wide apart on the corners of the body. They are moderate in length and covered in fine black hair from the knee and hock to the ground with no tendency to wooliness (note: the leg hair runs from the knee and hock down) |
| with long, bell-shaped ears that droop and tip slightly forward | A particularly defining breed characteristic is the long, bell-shaped ears that hang below perpendicular and tip slightly forward (note: 'droop' paraphrases 'hang below perpendicular') |
| The breed association calls the Suffolk a superior producer of lean meat due to rapid early growth and heavy muscling | The Suffolk sheep is a superior producer of lean meat due to rapid early growth, heavy muscling, and efficient conversion of forage and other feedstuffs (note: attributed, since it is the breed association's own standard) |
| That growth can top a pound (about 0.45 kg) a day, and lambs can be market-ready as early as three to four months old | Suffolk genetics favor lean rapid early growth that can exceed one pound per day and be market ready as early as 3 to 4 months of age (note: 0.45 kg is a standard conversion of the source's 'one pound' (1 lb = 0.4536 kg)) |
| Commercial shepherds prize Suffolk genetics to improve the weights and carcass quality of their lamb crops | Suffolk genetics are highly-prized by commercial shepherds to improve the weights and carcass quality of their lamb crops (note: body and FAQ 3) |
| In the US, the most important lambs for the industry are crossbreds sired by Suffolk rams, which pass on their growth and carcass traits | Today, the most industry important lambs in the US are crossbreds sired by Suffolk rams that pass along highly heritable carcass and growth traits (note: body; FAQ 3 uses the first half) |
| The breed favors lean, rapid early growth that can top a pound (0.45 kg) a day, and lambs can be market-ready as early as three to four months old | Suffolk genetics favor lean rapid early growth that can exceed one pound per day and be market ready as early as 3 to 4 months of age (note: 0.45 kg is a standard conversion of the source's 'one pound' (1 lb = 0.4536 kg)) |
| tags: domestic-pet | The Suffolk breed, an original English breed, was the result of crossing Southdown rams on Norfolk Horned ewes (note: task #564; kept. The tag's definition is "Species selectively bred alongside humans over centuries", not petness, and the breed is a deliberate cross recognised by 1810.) |

## Suffolk Sheep. Oklahoma State University, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Breeds of Livestock.

https://web.archive.org/web/20241208032356/https://breeds.okstate.edu/sheep/suffolk-sheep.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The first Suffolks reached the United States in 1888, when G. B. Streeter of Chazy, New York, brought over prize breeding animals that had belonged to Joseph Smith of Hasketon, England | The first Suffolks were brought into this country in 1888 by Mr. G. B. Streeter of Chazy, New York. During a visit to England the previous year ... These prize breeding animals had belonged to Joseph Smith of Hasketon |
| A mature Suffolk ram weighs 113 to 159 kg (250 to 350 lb); a ewe weighs 81 to 113 kg (180 to 250 lb) | Mature weights for Suffolk rams range from 250-350 lbs (113-159 kg), ewe weights vary from 180-250 lbs (81-113 kg) |
| A mature ram weighs 113 to 159 kg (250 to 350 lb), and a ewe weighs 81 to 113 kg (180 to 250 lb) | Mature weights for Suffolk rams range from 250-350 lbs (113-159 kg), ewe weights vary from 180-250 lbs (81-113 kg) |

## Ovis aries (mouflon). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ovis_aries/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Domestic sheep now live worldwide alongside people | Domestic sheep live worldwide in association with humans (note: species-wide, and worded as all domestic sheep, not the breed) |
| Mainly grasses at pasture; can also be fed a wide variety of hays and oats | sheep feed mainly on grasses while in pastures and can be fed a wide variety of hays and oats (note: species-wide diet; no breed-specific diet source) |
| Not Evaluated | IUCN Red List No special status (note: GBIF's copy of the Red List returns NOT_EVALUATED for Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758, usage key 2441110, checked 2026-09-17 (api.gbif.org/v1/species/2441110/iucnRedListCategory -> {"category":"NOT_EVALUATED"}). The domestic sheep has no Red List assessment; precedent clydesdale-horse (#376/#417) and alpaca.) |
| Domestic sheep in general feed mainly on grasses at pasture and can be fed a wide variety of hays and oats | In general, sheep feed mainly on grasses while in pastures and can be fed a wide variety of hays and oats |
| The first domestic sheep lived mainly in the Middle East and Central Asia, and sheep have since been introduced everywhere | The first domesticated sheep resided mainly in the Middle East and Central Asia but since then have been introduced everywhere |
| Sheep have a highly developed flocking instinct | Ovis aries has a highly developed flocking or herding instinct |
| Large groups, up to 1,000 sheep or more, move over an area together rather than as individuals, and no leaders start the grazing, or even the running away | Large groups of sheep (up to 1000 or more) move over an area in groups, rather than as individuals. No "leaders" in the flock initiating grazing or other forms of behavior, including flight (note: 'running away' for 'flight') |
| That instinct is part of their value to farmers, as a single shepherd can control a large flock | This flocking instinct contributes to their economic significance as a single shepherd can control a large flock of animals (note: 'part of their value to farmers' is 'contributes to their economic significance') |
| Separate a sheep from the others and it becomes considerably stressed, often calling out and pawing at the ground | Sheep become considerably stressed when separated from others, often calling and pawing at the ground |
| tags: agricultural | In general, sheep feed mainly on grasses while in pastures and can be fed a wide variety of hays and oats (note: task #564; replaces savanna, whose definition (tropical grassland, prolonged dry seasons, migrating herbivore herds) fits nothing in the sources. The breed is an English farm animal at pasture; USSA has its Norfolk Horn ancestors in "The upland regions of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridge". ADW's "mainly" is the diet's emphasis, not a hedge on the pasture.) |
| tags: social | Ovis aries has a highly developed flocking or herding instinct (note: task #564; replaces social-colony, which asks for a strict division of labor. ADW says the opposite: "No \"leaders\" in the flock initiating grazing or other forms of behavior, including flight." ADW also: "Sheep become considerably stressed when separated from others".) |
| A hypnotic, endlessly looping groove that pulls a whole crowd along with it, for a sheep whose flocks, up to 1,000 or more, move over an area as a group rather than as individuals, with no leader starting the grazing | Large groups of sheep (up to 1000 or more) move over an area in groups, rather than as individuals. No "leaders" in the flock initiating grazing or other forms of behavior, including flight (note: vibe.reason, task #564; replaces "Swaggering Northern English pastoral confidence" and "iconic black-and-white swagger", which paired by geography and said nothing about the animal. Band, song, genre and the music description are unchanged.) |

## Ovis aries. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Ovis_aries

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| One captive sheep lived 22.8 years, the maximum lifespan AnAge records for the species | Maximum longevity 22.8 years (captivity) ... One captive specimen lived 22.8 years (note: species-wide (Ovis aries) record, not a Suffolk; AnAge build 15 cited directly rather than ADW's 2000 page, which repeats it; 'maximum lifespan' is AnAge's 'Maximum longevity') |

## Kendrick et al. (2001). Sheep don't forget a face. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/35102669

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Sheep recognize one another by their faces, using specialized brain systems in the temporal and frontal lobes, with a bigger role for the right side of the brain | Sheep also recognize and are attracted to individual sheep and humans by their faces, as they possess similar specialized neural systems in the temporal and frontal lobes for assisting in this important social task, including a greater involvement of the right brain hemisphere (note: all sheep, not a Suffolk finding) |
| Sheep recognize one another by their faces, using specialized brain systems in the temporal and frontal lobes, similar to the ones humans use, with a bigger role for the right side of the brain | The human brain has evolved specialized neural mechanisms for visual recognition of faces ... Sheep also recognize and are attracted to individual sheep and humans by their faces, as they possess similar specialized neural systems in the temporal and frontal lobes for assisting in this important social task, including a greater involvement of the right brain hemisphere |
| In a 2001 study, individual sheep remembered the faces of 50 other sheep for over two years | Here we show that individual sheep can remember 50 other different sheep faces for over 2 years (note: 2001 is the paper's year (reference kendrick-2001); the study's sheep, not Suffolks; body blockquote and FAQ 4) |