The Somali sheep, occasionally known as the Berbera Blackhead, is a hair sheep native to Somalia.[1] The animal is reared primarily for meat production and it is one of the major exports of the Somali economy.
The Somali sheep is white with a black head. Both sexes are polled and the breed belongs to the fat-tail type. There is an active trade going on for this kind of sheep to the GCC countries especially to Saudi Arabia.[2] Somali sheep are the immediate ancestor of the Blackhead Persian which was developed in South Africa in the late 19th century and early 20th century and which has been widely used for crossbreeding in many parts of Africa and elsewhere in the tropics.[3]