eli5: How did primitive sheep contain/deal with all that wool when modern sheep require sheering yearly?
In: Biology
Primitive sheep didn’t grow that much wool. Modern sheep have been selectively bred for ages to produce an animal that isn’t suited for the wild. Kind of like cows.
Sheep don’t require shearing at all, they shed their coats naturally anyway, but highly domesticated sheep do this more slowly than wild sheep, it also varies depending on breed & species. The idea all sheep are the same & domesticated is mistaken.
Earlier sheep would grow less wool, and they shed it like any animal with a summer and winter coat. Modern sheep have been selectively bred to not shed their wool, so the farmers can collect it all at once. Also, most modern sheep breeds are dumber and less agile than their ancestors.
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