The Soay sheep is a breed of
domestic sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...
(''Ovis aries'') descended from a population of
feral
A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...
sheep on the island of
Soay in the
St Kilda Archipelago, about from the
Western Isles
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It is one of the
Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds.
It remains physically similar to the wild ancestors of domestic sheep, the
Mediterranean mouflon and the horned
urial
The urial ( ; ''Ovis vignei''), also known as the arkars or shapo, is a wild sheep native to Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Characteristics
Urial males have large horns, curling outwards from the to ...
sheep of Central Asia.
[Ryder, M L, (1981), "A survey of European primitive breeds of sheep", ''Ann. Génét. Sél. Anim.'', 13 (4), pp 381–418.]
It is much smaller than modern domesticated sheep but hardier, and is extraordinarily agile, tending to take refuge amongst the cliffs when frightened. Soays may be solid black or brown, or more often blonde or dark brown with buffish-white underbelly and rump (known as ''lachdann'' in
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
, which is cognate to the Manx ''
loaghtan''); a few have white markings on the face.
In the early twentieth century, some Soay sheep were relocated to establish exotic flocks, such as the flock of "Park Soay" at
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, ...
, established by the
Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...
in 1910, and selected for "primitive" characteristics.
[
] A number of Soay sheep were translocated from Soay to another of the St Kilda group, the island of
Hirta
Hirta ( gd, Hiort) is the largest island in the St Kilda archipelago, on the western edge of Scotland. The names (in Scottish Gaelic) and ''Hirta'' (historically in English) have also been applied to the entire archipelago. Now without a perman ...
by the
Marquess of Bute in the 1930s, after the human population and their sheep were evacuated. The name of the island is from
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
''Seyðoy'', meaning "Island of Sheep". The breed was introduced to and live wild on
Holy Isle off
Arran.
Soay sheep were introduced from St Kilda to
Lundy
Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon.
About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently chang ...
, an island in the
Bristol Channel, by
Martin Coles Harman
Martin Coles Harman (1885 – 5 December 1954) was an English businessman who, in 1925, bought the island of Lundy and proclaimed himself King.
Born in Steyning in Sussex and educated at Whitgift School in Croydon, Harman had six brothers and f ...
soon after he purchased the island in 1925. There is also a small population living wild in and around the
Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. The breed was used in
experimental archaeology
Experimental archaeology (also called experiment archaeology) is a field of study which attempts to generate and test archaeological hypotheses, usually by replicating or approximating the feasibility of ancient cultures performing various tasks ...
at
Butser Ancient Farm because it closely resembles British prehistoric breeds.
The Soays are particularly hardy and have been allowed to become largely feral. The breed is listed in "Category 4: At Risk" by the
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to pres ...
, because there are only between 900 and 1500 registered breeding Soay ewes.
[
] The Soay is distinct from two other short-tailed breeds also associated with St Kilda: the
Boreray (from Boreray, another of the islands, and formerly also living on Hirta), and the "St Kilda", a former name for the
Hebridean sheep
The Hebridean is a breed of small black sheep from Scotland, similar to other members of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group, having a short, triangular tail. They often have two pairs of horns. They were often formerly known as "St ...
(which is probably not from St Kilda at all).
[
]
Scientific study
The Hirta population is unmanaged and has been the subject of scientific study since the 1950s. The population makes an ideal model subject for scientists researching
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
,
population dynamics and
demography
Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...
because the population is unmanaged, is closed (no emigration or immigration) and has no significant competitors or predators.
The sheep exhibit a phenomenon known as overcompensatory
density dependence, in which their population never reaches
equilibrium.
The population growth is so great as to exceed the
carrying capacity of the island, which eventually causes a dramatic population crash, and then the cycle repeats. For example, in 1989, the population fell by two-thirds within 12 weeks.
The age and sex structure of the population are important in determining when a crash happens; for instance, adult males enter winter in a poor condition after the autumn
rut, whereas females have been grazing all summer and so enter winter in a good condition. Survival rates of males (and lambs) are influenced by weather throughout winter (dependent on the strength of the
North Atlantic Oscillation), whereas survival rates of females (and adolescents) are influenced most strongly by rainfall at the end of winter, when they will normally be heavily pregnant (the rain soaks the wool, increasing energy expenditure).
Another factor in mortality rates is the loading of
intestinal
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
nematode parasites
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
, particularly damaging in malnourished
hosts.
The breed is becoming smaller because of the change in climate.
Breed characteristics
The sheep have short tails and naturally shed their wool, which can be hand plucked (called rooing) in the spring and early summer. About one kilogram of wool can be obtained from each animal per year.
Ewes are
polled,
scurred or horned and rams are either horned or scurred. They are most commonly brown or tan with a white belly, white rump patch and/or white patch under the chin (referred to as the Mouflon or wild pattern). Occasionally white markings on the face and/or body and legs occur. Rarely self-coloured (solid colour with no markings) black or tan individuals are seen.
This breed has extremely fine fleece and, in contrast to mouflon, the inner fleece is highly developed and it is difficult to distinguish an outer coat. This is a clear indication that the Soay are indeed the product of a domesticated breed in prehistoric times. The breed also lacks the flocking instinct of many breeds. Attempts to work them using sheep dogs result in a scattering of the group.
[
]
The lambs are late maturing and produce smaller carcasses relative to commercial breeds. The meat from the Soay is lean, tender and low in cholesterol. It has a stronger flavour with a gamey taste when compared to more common sheep breeds. Crossing with larger breeds, such as the
Suffolk or
Mule, can produce larger carcasses which will be lean and still retain much of the flavour.
The Soay is very similar to another feral type from the island of
Lítla Dímun
Lítla Dímun is a small, uninhabited island between the islands of Suðuroy and Stóra Dímun in the Faroe Islands. It is the smallest of the main 18 islands, being less than a square kilometre (247 acres) in area, and is the only uninhabited ...
in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
, which became extinct in the mid-nineteenth century, partially due to overhunting.
[
]
References
External links
Study discovers secret of Scottish sheep evolution
Soay Sheep Society of the UK
The Sheep of St Kilda
{{portalbar, Mammals, Animals, Biology, Scotland
Animal breeds on the RBST Watchlist
Fauna of St Kilda, Scotland
Sheep breeds
Sheep breeds originating in Scotland
St Kilda, Scotland