Creature Name:
Cether Sheep "Cubby Sheep"
Abstract Description:
Cether Sheep are under 24" and are raised primarily in the Administrate of Centripax. They are personable, interactive, and have cute little bear like cinnamon or gray faces with smirky smiles, hence the nickname "Cubby Sheep". Primarily raised by the Cether in Harding, they are raised in flocks and during the Spring and Summer months are herded throughout the province of Centripax west of Zerdargia. Currently the Cethers in Harding in Centripax raise these docile Cether Sheep for their wool and meat. They are also perfect as grass trimmers and are used to this purpose at Minith Field in Zerdargia. Cethers are excellent shepherds and breed Cether Sheep for health and soundness. They breed for good conformation, good muscling, good mothering instincts and easy lambing. They can be raised anywhere in Aelyria where there is plentiful grass or hay.
Physical Appearance:
Cether Sheep are only 19 to 24 inches tall without wool. They usually have off white wool with cinnamon or gray faces and legs. Sometimes an all white or black Cether Sheep will be born, but it is very rare. "Cubby Sheep" have a fuzzy face with thick eyebrows. The wool is thick and has an extremely fine texture.
Personality:
Cether Sheep are an intelligent, quiet, and docile breed which tame down easily. With a little attention they will even come when called. Of all the breeds of Sheep, the Cether Sheep are by far the most personable and docile. They will not stray and herd nicely. Healthy lambs are usually very active. Group play is very common. Lambs love to climb. They are naturally curious of their surroundings. This curiosity can lead to accidents, if there are risks present. As lambs get older, they spend less time with their mothers and more with their peers. They spend more time foraging for food. Play wanes after about four months.
Cether Sheep Senses:
Senses are the tools that animals use to interact with their environment. Cether Sheep and other animals share five basic senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. As a prey animal, sheep must have excellent senses to ensure their survival.
Sight: Cether Sheep depend heavily upon their vision. Cether shephards say that the placement and structure of the sheep's eyes are due to nature's designation of sheep as a prey animal. Cether Sheep have a very large pupil that is somewhat rectangular in shape. The eyeball is placed more to the side of the head, which gives sheep a much wider field of vision. With only slight head movement, sheep are able to scan their surroundings. Their field of vision ranges from 191 to 306 degrees, depending upon the amount of wool on their face. On the other hand, sheep have poor depth perception (three dimensional vision), especially if they are moving with their heads up. This is why they will often stop to examine something more closely. Cether Sheep have difficulty picking out small details. They tend to avoid shadows and sharp contrasts between light and dark. They are reluctant to go where they can't see.
Hearing: Cether Sheep have excellent hearing. They can amplify and pinpoint sound with their ears. In fact, sound arrives at each ear at a different time. Cether Sheep are frightened by sudden loud noises, such as yelling or barking.
Smell: Cether Sheep have an excellent sense of smell. Their olfactory system is more highly developed than humans. Cether Sheep know what predators smell like. Smell helps rams locate ewes in heat. It helps ewes locate their lambs. Cether Sheep use the sense of smell to locate water and detect differences in feed and pasture plants. Cether Sheep are more likely to move into the wind than with the wind, so they can use their sense of smell.
Touch: Since most of their body is covered with wool or coarse hair, only the Cether Sheep's lips and mouth (and maybe ears) lend themselves well to feeling behavior. The sense of touch is important in the interaction between animals. Lambs seek bodily contact with their mothers. Ewes respond to this touching behavior in many ways (e.g. milk letdown). Groups of animals that have body contact remain calmer.
Taste: Cether Sheep have the ability to differentiate feedstuffs and taste may play a role in this behavior. There is no evidence to suggest that Cether Sheep can balance their own ration when provided with a variety of feedstuffs; however, they may be able to seek out plants that make them feel better.
Uses:Meat: These Cether Sheep are a premium market lamb and have a small, flavorful, and marketable carcass, which are primarily sold in Zerdargia and Dargis.
Cheese: The cheese made from ewe's milk is creamy and flavorful. The large amount of fat content makes it white and is usually sold in three pound wheels nicknamed Cubby Cheese.
Wool: Cether Sheep also have a short staple, but fine fleece, which the Cether spin into the finest wool in Aelyria. It is so soft, it is coveted by the wealthy for clothes, including sweaters, coats and cloaks. Cether Sheep neck scarves called "Cubbys" are one of the most popular items produced in Harding and the Administrate of Centripax because of the softness of the wool around the neck.
Care and Feeding:
As do any sheep, Cether Sheep require yearly shearing. They are easy keepers and require only grass or good quality hay and a salt mineral for maintenance. They require grain only when lactating.
Breeding:
Cether Sheep breed in the fall and lamb in the spring. They have no problems lambing and sometimes produce two or three lambs. The ewes are excellent mothers. Puberty is the age at which the reproductive organs become functional and secondary sex characteristics develop. Most ram lambs reach puberty between 5 and 7 months of age at 50 to 60 percent of their mature weight. The onset of puberty can be affected by nutrition. Ram lambs on a low plane of nutrition may not reach puberty until they are 12 months old. Puberty occurs when a ewe first exhibits heat. Most ewe lambs reach puberty between 5 and 12 months of age. Early Spring born ewe lambs will tend to reach puberty their first fall. In Cether Sheep, the length of the heat cycle ranges from 13 to 19 days and averages 17 days.
