Sheep are the main farm animals traditionally raised for wool. Their fleece is a renewable fiber that can be shorn without killing the animal, making sheep important to textile production for thousands of years.
Wool consists mainly of keratin, the same structural protein found in human hair and fingernails. Different sheep breeds produce fibers with different thicknesses, lengths, colors, and levels of crimp. Merino sheep are especially valued for fine, soft wool.
Sheep are also kept for meat, milk, skins, and breeding. A common mix-up is assuming that all wool comes from sheep: goats produce mohair and cashmere, while alpacas produce alpaca fiber. Sheep farming therefore connects one familiar farm animal with several distinct textile traditions.