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Boosted by taral ("JP Sugarbroad"):
hannah@posts.rat.pictures ("historic drystone sheep dyke") wrote:

Learning about the breed of sheep that has evolved to eat only kelp and can no longer abide the grass of its ancestors. Perhaps one day it will return to the sea as a cousin to the seal and the dolphin

North Ronaldsay sheep on the sheep shore
[North Ronaldsay sheep have a highly unusual diet consisting almost solely of seaweed. This has evolved due to their unique location, confined to the shoreline by a 1.8 m (6 ft) dry stone wall, leaving only seaweed for food. Apart from the marine iguana, native to the Galapagos Islands, it is the only land animal known to have such a diet. 141361 Studies have shown that, due to preference and availability, the sheep eat mainly kelps (Laminaria digitata and Laminaria hyperborea).
[![The sheep have evolved a somewhat different physiology from other sheep, due to their unusual diet: their digestive system has adapted to extract the sugars in seaweeds more efficiently. 22] A 2005 study at the University of Liverpool found that they have a greater susceptibility to copper toxicity, when compared with a more traditional breed such as the Cambridge. 145) This is because seaweed has a chemical which inhibits the absorption of copper, so the sheep have to absorb copper more efficiently to obtain the required amount. 122] The levels of copper found in typical sheep feed, including grass, are toxic for this breed. [31][46] Studies at the Universities of Liverpool and Minnesota suggest that they can extract four times more copper from their diet than more traditional breeds. 451[47]]6