Algerian Arab is a breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of domesticated sheep found throughout Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

. Although this breed does grow a carpet grade wool

Wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

, it is raised primarily for meat.

Characteristics

The rams are horned and the ewes are polled (hornless). Both sexes display white and are unicolored. At maturity on average, rams weigh 81 kg (178.6 lb) and have a height of 84 cm (33.1 in) at the withers. Ewes, on average, weigh 49 kg (108 lb), grow to 74 cm (29.1 in) at the withers and average 1.5 lambs per litter. Ewes lactate for approximately 180 days and provide 75 kg (165.3 lb) of milk to their offspring during that period.

The Algerian Arab have long legs that are well suited for walking for extended periods of time. This breed is well adapted to live in arid climates. From 1989 to 2003, the population increased from approximately 10 million to 11 million.

This breed is believed to have evolved from the Tadmit sheep in Algeria.