Soay

plural Soays

1. A primitive breed of domestic sheep descended from feral sheep on the island of Soay, Scotland.

   1961 August 3, Peter Jewell, The wild sheep of St Kilda, New Scientist, No. 246, page 268, These apparently wild Soay sheep have bred on the island for centuries, virtually untended by Man. They are a relic of primitive domestic sheep, little improved from their wild progenitors.

   2 more examples

   We first discuss a multiyear study on Soay sheep (Ovis aries) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) that has successfully yielded a sophisticated understanding of population regulation (Clutton-Brock et al., 1997).

   2000, Laurence D. Mueller, Amitabh Joshi, Stability in Model Populations, page 250

   Such selective antagonism can be seen as a form of parent-offspring conflict and has been demonstrated in Soay sheep (Wilson et al. 2005c).

   2009, Alistair J. Wilson, Marco Festa-Bianchet, “5: Maternal Effects in Wild Ungulates”, in Dario Maestripieri, Jill M. Mateo, editors, Maternal Effects in Mammals, page 94

   Synonyms: Soay sheep