The Damara is a Namibian

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of fat-tailed hair sheep, also found in South Africa. The name derives from that of the Damara region of northern Namibia where it is principally found, particularly in the

Kaokoveld Desert The Kaokoveld Desert is a coastal desert of northern Namibia and southern Angola. Setting The Kaokoveld Desert occupies a coastal strip covering , from 13° to 21°S and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Namibian savanna woodla ...

. Together with the

Namaqua Afrikaner The Afrikaner sheep (also known as ''Cape fat tail'') is a breed of fat tailed, hair sheep indigenous to South Africa. History Afrikaner sheep are one of the oldest native sheep breeds in South Africa, along with sheep such as the Damara, Blac ...

and the

Ronderib Afrikaner The Afrikaner sheep (also known as ''Cape fat tail'') is a breed of fat tailed, hair sheep indigenous to South Africa. History Afrikaner sheep are one of the oldest native sheep breeds in South Africa, along with sheep such as the Damara, Blac ...

, it is one of three breeds in the

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

group of sheep that were already in southern Africa before the arrival of colonists, and which forms part of the broader

African Long-fat-tailed sheep African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

grouping. It may be solid black, brown or white, or black-and-white pied.

References

Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in South Africa {{sheep-stub