AnAge entry for Ovis aries
Classification (HAGRID: 01978)
- Taxonomy
-
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Ovis
- Species
- Ovis aries
- Common name
- Domestic sheep, or Mouflon
- Synonyms
- Ovis musimon, Ovis orientalis, Ovis musimon musimon, Ovis musimon ophion, Ovis aries musimon, Ovis aries ophion, Ovis ophion
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
- Maximum longevity
- 22.8 years (captivity)
- Source
- ref. 671
- Sample size
- Large
- Data quality
- High
- Observations
Domestic sheep exhibit gradual senescence. The onset of reproductive senescence has been shown to occur at 5 and 6 years of age [0750]. One captive specimen lived 22.8 years [0671]. Variation in the insulin-like growth factor I receptor gene is associated with longevity in ewes [1161]. Furthermore, FOXO3 has also been associated with ageing in these animals, while calpastatin has not [1389].
Likewise to other farm animals, they may be culled due to lameness, skin lesions and issues in reproduction. They can also develop adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas [1389].
Life history traits (averages)
- Female sexual maturity
- 548 days
- Male sexual maturity
- 914 days
- Gestation
- 146 days
- Weaning
- Litter size
- 1.58 (viviparous)
- Litters per year
- 1
- Inter-litter interval
- 365 days
- Weight at birth
- 2,370 g
- Weight at weaning
- Adult weight
- 80,000 g
- Postnatal growth rate
- Maximum longevity residual
- 82%
Metabolism
- Typical body temperature
- 312ºK or 38.8ºC or 101.8ºF
- Basal metabolic rate
- Not yet available
References
- [1389] Hoffman and Valencak (2020), A short life on the farm: aging and longevity in agricultural, large-bodied mammals (PubMed)
- [1150] Jones et al. (2014), Diversity of ageing across the tree of life (PubMed)
- [1135] Lemaitre et al. (2013), Comparing free-ranging and captive populations reveals intra-specific variation in aging rates in large herbivores (PubMed)
- [1143] Nussey et al. (2013), Senescence in natural populations of animals: widespread evidence and its implications for bio-gerontology (PubMed)
- [1161] Byun et al. (2012), An association between lifespan and variation in insulin-like growth factor I receptor in sheep (PubMed)
- [1136] Gomes et al. (2011), Comparative biology of mammalian telomeres: hypotheses on ancestral states and the roles of telomeres in longevity determination (PubMed)
- [0978] Jones et al. (2009), PanTHERIA: a species-level database of life history, ecology, and geography of extant and recently extinct mammals
- [0789] Wilson et al. (2007), Evidence for a genetic basis of aging in two wild vertebrate populations (PubMed)
- [0817] Bielby et al. (2007), The fast-slow continuum in mammalian life history: an empirical reevaluation (PubMed)
- [1015] Piccione et al. (2005), Scaling the daily oscillations of breathing frequency and skin temperature in mammals (PubMed)
- [0490] Davis et al. (2005), Replicative senescence in sheep fibroblasts is a p53 dependent process (PubMed)
- [0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
- [0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
- [0285] Kuhholzer-Cabot and Brem (2002), Aging of animals produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (PubMed)
- [0750] Mysterud et al. (2002), Early onset of reproductive senescence in domestic sheep Ovis aries
- [0189] Kapahi et al. (1999), Positive correlation between mammalian life span and cellular resistance to stress (PubMed)
- [0677] Saether and Gordon (1994), The adaptive significance of reproductive strategies in ungulates (PubMed)
- [0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
- [0286] Dziewiatkowski et al. (1989), Age-related changes in the composition of proteoglycans in sheep cartilages (PubMed)
- [0081] Miller (1988), A set of test life tables for theoretical gerontology (PubMed)
- [0287] Lutz et al. (1977), Rearrangements of integral membrane components during in vitro aging of sheep erythrocyte membranes (PubMed)
External Resources
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- ITIS 552475
- Animal Diversity Web
- ADW account (if available)
- Encyclopaedia of Life
- Search EOL
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Taxonomy ID 9940
- Entrez
- Search all databases
- Ageing Literature
- Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
- Images
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- Internet
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