As with many other domesticated animals, sheep are known by a variety of different names. Adult sheep, for instance, are called rams if they are male and ewes if they are female, while the flesh of both is referred to as mutton.

View a second image of Mouton Lamb Hair

Lambs, which are usually defined as sheep that are less than a year old, are utilized by humans for their meat, as well as their skins. Indeed, both of these items are generally considered to have better quality, and correspondingly command higher prices, when they come from younger individuals. For instance, the skin of fetal sheep, referred to as broadtail lamb, is generally more valuable than Persian lamb, which is derived from newborns. Similarly, the flesh of sheep only 6 to 10 weeks old, which is known as baby lamb, is generally more delicate and expensive than spring lamb, or the meat of individuals 5 to 6 months of age.

Mouton lamb refers to the treated skin of a lamb that has been sheared. The hair of the skin is straightened, chemically doctored, and set with heat to produce a moisture repellent finish. This finish, along with subsequent dying, enables the material to be utilized in products intended to imitate more expensive furs, such as that of seals or beavers. Thus, mouton lamb has not been as popular as many other furs among the wealthy, but offers those with lesser incomes a chance to own fur coats and similar items.

Questions or comments? Send us an email.

© 1998-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.

This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

Last modification: Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 01:19 PM

Access Count Since November 20, 2003: 13424

For more information on microscope manufacturers,
use the buttons below to navigate to their websites: