Somali Arab

The Somali Arab name is used for sheep populations associated with Somalia and nearby Arabian or Red Sea trading connections. In practice it usually refers to a hot-climate hair sheep rather than a wool breed: a medium-sized animal kept for meat, often with a white body, darker head or neck, and a fat tail or fat rump depending on the local strain. These sheep are part of the pastoral livestock culture of the Horn of Africa, where mobility, heat tolerance, and the ability to use sparse grazing matter more than fleece.

Management centers on flock movement, water access, shade, and market lamb production. In wetter or cooler regions, Somali-type sheep may need different parasite control and shelter than they would on dry rangeland, and their fat-tailed build can be unfamiliar to producers used to European breeds. The label is not always used as a strict registry breed name, so buyers should ask where the animals came from, what color and tail type are present, and whether they have been selected for meat, hardiness, or crossbreeding.