Saryja (also: Saraja; Turkmen: saryja goýuny) is a breed of fat-tailed

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal 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 d ...

developed on the territory of

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

. The breed was developed through a long-term selection of Turkmen breeds of

fat-tailed sheep The fat-tailed sheep is a general type of domestic sheep known for their distinctive large tails and hindquarters. Fat-tailed sheep breeds comprise approximately 25% of the world's sheep population, and are commonly found in northern parts of Af ...

, which had a high content of fluff in

wool Wool is the textile fiber 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 some properties similar to animal w ...

. The breed received its name from the village of Saryja, located near the Turkmen city of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

About the breed

Sheep of the Saryja breed are usually white in color, while the legs and head are red. The musculature is poorly developed, and the coat is semi-coarse and shiny, contains a lot of fluff and contains almost no dead hair. Fleece is of braid structure, the length of braids is 13–18 cm and the fluff is 6–9 cm. The weight of an adult sheep is on average from 50 to 60 kg, the largest individuals reach 75 kg, the average weight of a ram is from 80 to 90 kg, and the largest reach 100 kg or more. Saryja sheep are hardy and well adapted to year-round keeping on pastures and with limited feeding in winter. It is considered one of the best fat-tailed breeds of meat and tallow. With the help of breeding rams of the Saryja breed, such breed groups of sheep as Tajik and Karagaly were developed. In

, Saryja sheep are bred in the southern part of the central

Karakum Karakum may refer to: * Karakum Desert, a desert in Central Asia * Aral Karakum Desert * ''Karakum'' (film), a 1994 Turkmen film * Karakum Canal, Turkmenistan * Karakum District, Turkmenistan See also * Karakoram, a large mountain range spanning t ...

, as well as on the plains adjacent to the Kopetdag Range. Also, sheep of Saryja breed are grown in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

( Orenburg region and Altai).

References

{{Reflist Sheep breeds Animal breeds originating in Turkmenistan Mary Region