Lambs vs Sheep — 5 Major Differences Explained

Key Points

• The term “lamb” refers to a baby sheep.
• Sheep are also some of the most successfully domesticated animals in the world, as well as some of the first.
• Lambs are smaller than adult sheep with long, lanky legs and shorter coats.

Do you sometimes look at lambs and sheep and wonder ‘are lamb and sheep the same’? There’s a good reason lambs and sheep look similar. A lamb is a baby sheep. A female sheep is known as a ewe, and a male sheep is known as a ram. Their offspring are called lambs.

Sheep (Ovis aries) were among the first and most successful domesticated animals in the world. They have been part of human society for thousands of years. We still depend on sheep and lambs for many things, including wool, meat, and milk.

There are millions of domesticated sheep and lambs in the world, and there are also many wild sheep species. Examples of wild sheep include the Rocky Mountain bighorn, the stone sheep and the chamois, and the ibex. Popular domesticated breeds include merino, Suffolk, and cheviot sheep.

Comparing Lamb vs Sheep

The 5 Key Differences Between Sheep and Lambs Explained

Are lamb and sheep the same? Lambs and sheep share many similar features, which isn’t surprising since they are the same animal at different ages. All the same, they have more than one major difference.

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1. Lamb vs Sheep: Size

Lambs are noticeably smaller than adult sheep. A newborn lamb might weigh from 5 to 10 pounds at birth. Fully-grown sheep are much larger, and wild sheep are usually even larger.

The largest sheep species is the argali (Ovis ammon), a wild sheep native to Mongolia. It can stand 4 feet tall and weigh from 200 to more than 700 pounds. Hunting and deforestation have made the argali endangered.

2. Lamb vs Sheep: Coat

Although both lambs and sheep produce wool, there is a difference in their coats. Lamb’s wool is softer and more delicate than sheep’s wool.

For this reason, lambswool yarn is quite popular for sweaters and blankets. A lamb’s first shearing will occur near 6 months of age. Since a lamb’s wool is finer and softer at this life stage, it makes an even cozier blanket when compared to traditional, adult wool.

3. Lamb vs Sheep: Horns

Most lambs don’t have horns. Male lambs might have tiny bumps that resemble horns, but they are nowhere near as big as a ram’s horns.

4. Lamb vs Sheep: Diet

A lamb drinks ewe milk during its first few weeks of life. After that, it eats the normal sheep’s diet of grasses, flowers, and legumes.

5. Lamb vs Sheep: Sociability

Baby lambs usually hang out with their mother and siblings. After they become yearlings, they live in the pasture close to their family members. Domestic sheep are social. Wild sheep are more solitary and spend their time roaming the mountainside alone.

Sheep Lifespan

In general, sheep can be expected to live about 10 to 12 years in captivity. The most notable exception and oldest sheep to ever live was a Welsh ewe by the name of Methuselina who lived to be almost 26 years old. Lambs are considered to be full-grown sheep at about 1 year old, or after they have given birth to their first lambs of their own.

Other Differently Named Baby Animals

Now that we have answered the question ‘are lamb and sheep the same?’ Many other species of baby animals are usually not termed baby followed by whatever animal it is; there is usually a different term used. As lamb is to sheep, these other baby animals are:

• Puppy (dog)
• Joey (kangaroo)
• Calf (cow, hippo, buffalo, etc.)
• Pup (seal, shark, hamster, etc.)
• Cub (bear, cheetah, hyena, raccoon, etc.)
• Hatchling (reptiles, emus, squids)
• Fledgling (birds)

Summary: Lambs vs Sheep

Up Next:

• What’s a Baby Sheep Called + 5 More Amazing Facts!
• Rams VS Sheep: What’s The Difference?
• Goat vs. Ram: What’s the Difference?