The Alpines Steinschaf is a breed of domestic
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...
indigenous to the
Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...
of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and southern
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It is used for
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
,
meat and
vegetation management
Conservation grazing or targeted grazing is the use of semi-feral or domesticated grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi-natural grasslands, heathlands, wood pasture, wetlands and many other habitats. .
Etymology
The origin and meaning of the word ''steinschaf'' is unknown, though various theories have been advanced.
[
]
History
The Alpines Steinschaf is one of four breeds in the Steinschaf group, the others being the Krainer Steinschaf, the Montafoner Steinschaf and the Tiroler Steinschaf.[ They are variously thought to have derived from the mediaeval Zaupelschaf type, or from the older Torfschaf, and are believed to be the oldest sheep breeds of the eastern Alps.][
At the start of the twentieth century the Alpines Steinschaf was widely distributed in the eastern Alps. In Austria it was found mainly in ]Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
, but also in Carinthia, North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north ...
and East Tirol
East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (german: Osttirol), is an exclave of the Austrian state of Tyrol, separated from the main North Tyrol part by the short common border of Salzburg and Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', it, Alto Adige). It is c ...
and in Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...
. In Germany it was common in the Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n districts of Berchtesgaden and Traunstein
Traunstein (Central Bavarian: ''Traunstoa'') is a town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a much larger district of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health services, ...
and in the south-east part of Rosenheim
Rosenheim is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an independent city located in the centre of the district of Rosenheim (Upper Bavaria), and is also the seat of its administration. It is located on the west bank of the Inn at the confluence of th ...
.[ In Italy it was present in the ]Eisacktal
Eisack Valley ( it, Valle Isarco ; german: Eisacktal) is a district ( it, comprensorio; german: Bezirksgemeinschaft) in South Tyrol, Italy. It comprises the middle part of the valley of the Eisack, from Franzensfeste in the north to Waidbruck in th ...
, the Passeiertal
The Passeier Valley (german: Passeier or ; it, Passiria or Val Passiria ) is the valley of the Passer river, in the mountains of South Tyrol, northern Italy. The Passer river is a left-bank tributary to the Adige. At the mouth of the valley, whe ...
, the upper Pustertal
The Puster Valley ( it, Val Pusteria ; german: Pustertal, ) is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The Sou ...
and in the upper Vinschgau
The Vinschgau, Vintschgau () or Vinschgau Valley ( it, Val Venosta ; rm, Vnuost ; lld, Val Venuesta; medieval toponym: ''Finsgowe'') is the upper part of the Adige or Etsch river valley, in the western part of the province of South Tyrol, Italy. ...
, in the autonomous province of Bolzano; by 1964 the population in this area had fallen to below 1000 head.[
In 2009 the Alpines Steinschaf was named "endangered livestock breed of the year" by the German , a national association for the conservation of historic and endangered breeds of domestic animals.][ In 2014, it was listed as "extremely endangered" on the red list of endangered animal breeds of the GEH.][
A total population of 491–650 was reported by Austria in 2012;][ Germany reported 791 head in 2013.][
]
Characteristics
The Alpines Steinschaf is a fine-boned mountain breed of small to medium size. Rams weigh , and ewes . All coat colours are found. The face and lower legs are without wool;[ the legs are thin but strong, and the hooves hard.][ Rams are often horned, ewes less often so. The ears are carried horizontally or slightly drooping. The face and ears may be marked with black.][
]
References
{{reflist, refs=
[Antje Feldmann, Ursula Bietzker, Christian Mendel (2005)]
''Schafrassen der Alpen'' = ''Sheepbreeds of the Alps''
Alpinet Gheep. {{nobreak, p. 8, 17. Archived 19 August 2014.
[Alpines Steinschaf]
(in German). Arche Austria. Accessed November 2016.
[R. Baumung, V. Cubric-Curik, K. Schwend, R. Achmann and J. Sölkner (2006)]
Genetic characterisation and breed assignment in Austrian sheep breeds using microsatellite marker information
''Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics'' 123 (4): 265–271. {{doi, 10.1111/j.1439-0388.2006.00583.x {{subscription required
[Breed data sheet: Alpines Steinschaf/Austria]
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2014.
[Breed data sheet: Alpines Steinschaf/Germany]
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2014.
[Doris Reinthaler (]012 012 may refer to:
* Tyrrell 012, a Formula One racing car
* The dialing code for Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassie ...
Alpines Steinschaf
(in German). Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft (Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management). Archived 19 August 2014.
[Christian Mendel (2009)]
(in German). Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen. Archived 19 August 2014.
[Christian Mendel, Gerhard Burkl (2008)]
Alte und gefährdete Schafrassen in Deutschland: Alpen und Voralpen: Das Alpine Steinschaf
(in German). Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen. Archived 24 September 2015.
[Rote Liste der GEH e.V.]
(in German). Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen. Archived 16 November 2016.
Sheep breeds originating in Austria
Sheep breeds originating in Germany
Animal breeds on the GEH Red List