Romanov 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 domesticate ...

originating from the Upper Volga region in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. These domestic sheep got the name Romanov from the town of the same name. In the 18th century, these sheep were first noticed outside of Russia. Soon after, they were imported to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and then to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. In 1980, 14 ewes and 4 rams were bought by the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

government and were quarantined for 5 years. After the testing, some of the Romanov breed was brought into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The distribution of this unique breed is worldwide. This breed is raised primarily for meat.

Appearance and condition

These sheep are adapted to the cold inland

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologica ...

and local feeding. Romanovs are one of the

Northern European short-tailed sheep The Northern European short-tailed sheep are a group of traditional sheep breeds or types found in Northern Europe, mainly in the British Isles, Scandinavia, Greenland and the area around the Baltic. They are thought to be derived from the f ...

breeds. They are pure black when they are born, but as they grow older the color quickly changes to gray. The average weight of a male Romanov is 55-80 kilograms and the average weight of a female is 40-50 kilograms.

Reproduction

By 3–4 months old, Romanovs are sexually mature and will start breeding any month of the year. The ewe can produce quadruplets, quintuplets, and even sometimes sextuplets. Romanov ewes tend to lamb in litters, unlike other sheep who give single or twin births. British and

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

breeds of domesticated sheep are genetically different because the Romanov breed is a "

pure gene Pure may refer to: Computing * A pure function * A pure virtual function * PureSystems, a family of computer systems introduced by IBM in 2012 * Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool * Pure-FTPd, F ...

", not a "

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...

". But, they are often crossed with more popular breeds to increase their prolificacy.

Romanov wool

Romanov wool is very strong and resourceful. The

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

is double coated with mean diameter of wool fibers of 20.9 micrometres and 71.9 micrometres of outer-coat hair (lamb wool). Mean greasy fleece weight is around 4.5 kilograms. The wool, which is a mixture of gray wool and black guard hair, is usually used for rugs, mats, and wall hangings.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Romanov sheep
North American Romanov Sheep Association
Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in Russia