Sometimes folks comment on how unsmart sheep are. Often folks compare them to goats, claiming that goats are somehow smarter. Not true! goats are different and have a much more outgoing attitude with humans (they also stink). Sheep are often shy or "skittish". They are just wary & protective. I am sort of a hybrid sheep/goat (geep) as I am friendly and outgoing but also reserved & I wait for my intuitions to spell safety.
My dairy farmer always says that sheep have a low will to live -unlike his 1400 pound cows! Not true! They have an amazing will to live as I have observed with Blink, our wethered north country cheviot, who has been stricken with dermotitis, external parasites & now some infection that is making him have flesh open/scab things all over him! He has an incredible will to survive & to beat this beast of an infection.
An interesting study was done earlier in this century (2000) showing that sheep are highly adept at memorizing faces. A sheep can memorize 50 faces for up to 2 years. One can imagine how this would help identify the flock, since to some eyes "all sheep look the same". Here is an article about this study:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1107_TVsheep.html
Also here is a link to read more on "sheep smarts".
http://www.sheep101.info/stupidsheep.html
And by the way not all sheep look the same at all. Same with cows and all animals I spose. After milking for a year and a half I can attest to that. I am one of those assholes who says, "look at the black cow" while gazing upon a field of 50 black & white cows. Most folks would think I was nuts but some folks would say, "oh yea, she's a beaute!"
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