A piece of shared American history: Gulf Coast Native Sheep

Hi friends! It’s your friendly neighborhood petting zoo keeper here to tell you all about one of our incredible breeds of sheep found at the petting zoo in the Orkin Children’s Zoo section of the Zoo.

Gulf Coast Native Sheep, also commonly known as Gulf Coast or Native Sheep, are a breed of sheep bred specifically for their ability to thrive in the environments located on the American shoreline of the Gulf Coast. While the origins of the breed are not well documented, it is widely believed the breed descended from Spanish breeds in the early 16^th century.

Visually, Gulf Coast Native Sheep are described by their lack of wool on their faces; their fine wool type (like that of a Merino Sheep); and horns. The lack of a wooled face and the fine wool helps this breed tremendously with the heat found in the Gulf Coast climate by allowing for more heat to escape and cool air to contact the skin.

Differentiation from this description is not rare, as more and more Gulf Coast Native Sheep become mixed with other sheep breeds. Even with the ability to adapt to a much hotter climate than many sheep breeds, Gulf Coast Native Sheep became less popular in the southern United States in the 20^th century as modern veterinary medicines made huge strides in care for sheep, allowing farmers to choose other breeds with higher product outputs. Despite this, there are groups around the U.S. determined to keep this breed thriving. So next time you stop by the petting zoo, come take a look at a piece of our shared American history and maybe get a pet in while you’re there.  

Robert A.
Keeper III, Ambassador Animals