Sheep (pl.: 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 domesticated sheep.
There are more than one billion domestic sheep and several subspecies of wild sheep that can be found around the globe. Some sheep are raised for wool, and others are raised for meat; but either way, these animals are an important part of nearly every culture.