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List of Scottish breeds

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This is a list of domestic animal breeds originating in Scotland. To be considered domesticated, a population of animals must have their behaviour, life cycle, or physiology systemically altered as a result of being under human control for many generations.[1]

Scotland has produced some of the longest-established domestic animal breeds.[citation needed] There are thirty-seven extant animal breeds from Scotland, and three that are extinct. The Soay Sheep has prehistoric origins,[citation needed] and the Galloway breed of beef cattle dates back several hundred years. New breeds have also been developed more recently in Scotland, such as the Scottish Fold cat, which dates from 1961.[2]

The North Ronaldsay Sheep is a most unusual breed, subsisting largely on a diet of seaweed.[3] The Boreray was in 2012 the only sheep breed listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as 'critical', its highest level of concern at that time;[4] in 2022 it was listed as 'at risk', the lower of the two levels of concern of the Trust.[5] Some breeds, such as the Shetland Pony and the Border Collie are well known throughout much of the Western world, whilst others such as the Scots Dumpy chicken are little-known, even at home.[citation needed] Fifteen breeds of dog have Scottish origins, including six terrier breeds.[6] Indeed, the relative isolation of many Scottish islands has led to a preponderance of breeds from these places being represented. Various breeds are now extinct, including the Grice, an archaic and somewhat aggressive pig.[7]

Breeds

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Cats

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Breed Image Place and date of origin Status
Scottish Fold   Coupar Angus, 1961 rare[2]

Cattle

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Breed Image Place and date of origin Status
Aberdeen Angus   Aberdeenshire, Angus, 18th century not at risk[8]
Ayrshire   Ayrshire, before 1800 not at risk[9][10]
Belted Galloway   Galloway, 17–18th century rare[11]
Galloway   Galloway, 700–1100 not at risk[12]
Highland   West Highlands, before 1800 not at risk[13]
Luing   Luing, after 1947 not at risk[14]
Shetland   Shetland, 700–1100 at risk[15]

Chickens

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Breed Image Place and date of origin Status
Scots Dumpy Highlands, 11th century priority;[16] rare[17]

Scots Grey

  Lanarkshire, 16th century priority;[16] rare[18]

Dogs

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Breed Image Place and date of origin Status
Bearded Collie   Highlands, 16th century vulnerable native breed[19]

Border Collie

  Scottish Borders, late 19th century not at risk[20]
Border Terrier   Scottish Borders, 1700s not at risk[21]
Cairn Terrier   Scottish highlands, 16th–19th century not at risk[22]
Dandie Dinmont   Skye and Scottish Borders, mid-18th century or earlier vulnerable native breed[22][23]
Golden Retriever   Glen Affric, 1865 not at risk[24]
Gordon Setter   Moray, 1700s vulnerable native breed[25]
Rough Collie   Scottish Highlands, 19th century not at risk[26]
Smooth Collie   Scotland, 19th century vulnerable native breed
Scottish Terrier   Aberdeen, 15th–16th century at risk[22][27]
Scottish Deerhound   Probably the Highlands, possibly in the Middle Ages vulnerable native breed
Shetland Sheepdog
or Sheltie 		  1900s not at risk[28]
Skye Terrier   Skye, before 1588 vulnerable native breed[22][29][30]
West Highland White Terrier
or Westie 		  Skye & Argyll, 16th century not at risk[22]

Geese

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Breed Image Place and date of origin Status
Shetland Shetland, unknown UK and US - priority;[16] critical[31]

Horses

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Breed Image Place and date of origin Status
Clydesdale   Clydesdale, 1750s at risk[32]
Eriskay Pony   Hebrides critical[33][34]
Highland Pony   Highlands and Islands, 16th century at risk[35][36][37]
Shetland Pony   Shetland, B.C. not at risk[38][39]

Sheep

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Breed Image Place and date of origin Status

Boreray

  St Kilda, Scotland, 1930s critical[40]

Castlemilk Moorit

  Dumfriesshire, from more ancient Scottish and other breeds including Soay and Shetland, 1900s critical[41][42]

Cheviot

  Scottish Borders, 14th century or earlier not at risk[43]

Hebridean

  Cumbria, probably from sheep from the Hebrides, 19th century rare[44]

North Country Cheviot

  Cheviot Hills, Caithness, Sutherland, 18th century UK and North America[45]

North Ronaldsay

  North Ronaldsay, Iron Age rare[3][46]

Scottish Blackface

  Scottish Borders, about 1500 not at risk[47]

Shetland

  Shetland, Iron Age UK and North America[48]

Soay

  Soay, St Kilda, Neolithic or Bronze Age rare[49][4]

Extinct breeds

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A Paisley Terrier

Prior to their demise, the Paisley Terrier contributed to the bloodline of the Yorkshire Terrier and the Scottish Tan Face to the Boreray sheep. Although Galloway Ponies were praised by Gervaise Markham in the 17th century for their "fine shape, easie pace, pure metall and infinit toughness", true to form Samuel Johnson described them as "common hackneys".[50] It shares its origins with the still extant Fell Pony. A model of the Grice, whose habit of attacking lambs cannot have aided its survival, was recreated by a taxidermist in 2006.[7]

Breed Species Date of Origin Location of Origin Date of extinction
Paisley Terrier or Clydesdale Terrier Dog 19th century Paisley, Clyde Valley 20th century[51]
Galloway Pony Horse 16th century or earlier Galloway post 1901[50]
Grice Pig Unknown Highlands and Islands (also Ireland) c. 1930[7]
Scottish Dunface or Old Scottish Shortwool Sheep Iron Age Highlands and Islands (previously British Isles) late 19th century[52] (Survives as Shetland, Boreray, North Ronaldsay, Hebridean.)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zeder MA (2015). "Core questions in domestication Research". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 112 (11): 3191–8. Bibcode:2015PNAS..112.3191Z. doi:10.1073/pnas.1501711112. PMC 4371924. PMID 25713127.
  2. ^ a b "Scottish Fold Cat Information". Pet Finder. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b "North Ronaldsay". Sheep Breeds. Seven Sisters Sheep Centre. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  4. ^ a b "RBST Watchlist". Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  5. ^ Watchlist 2022–23. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 28 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Dogs from Scotland". InfoDogs. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Extinct Island Pig Spotted Again". BBC News. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
  8. ^ "Angus" Oklahoma State University. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  9. ^ "The Breed" Archived 29 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine Ayrshire Cattle Society. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  10. ^ "Why Ayrshires" US Ayrshire Breeders' Association. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  11. ^ "Belted Galloway" Archived 25 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine Oklahoma State University. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  12. ^ "Galloway History" Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine Galloway Cattle Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  13. ^ "The Highland Breed" Highland Cattle Society. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  14. ^ "History of the Breed" Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine Luing Cattle Society. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  15. ^ "Home" Shetland Cattle Breeders Association. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  16. ^ a b c Watchlist 2017–18. Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Accessed May 2017.
  17. ^ "Scots Dumpy chickens at Kintaline Farm" scotsdumpy.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  18. ^ " Scots Grey Hens at Kintaline Farm" Archived 25 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine scotsgrey.co.uk Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  19. ^ "Vulnerable native breeds | Getting a dog | the Kennel Club".
  20. ^ "Collie breed history barkbytes.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  21. ^ "History of the Border Terrier" Archived 23 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Oberlin University. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  22. ^ a b c d e Initial grouping of several of the highland terriers (including the Scottie) under the generic name Skye terriers has caused some confusion in the breed’s lineage. There is much disagreement over whether the Skye terriers mentioned in early 16th century records actually descended from forerunners of the Scottie or vice versa. See Choosing a Scottish Terrier" Petplace.com. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  23. ^ "Dandie Dinmont Terrier History". Caledonian Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  24. ^ "Golden Retrievers: History" K9web.com. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
  25. ^ "About Gordon Setters" Archived 10 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Gordon Setter Cub of America. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  26. ^ "History of the Rough Collie" Archived 16 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine collienet.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  27. ^ "Scottish Terrier" Britanica. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  28. ^ "Endemic Vertebrates of Shetland"[permanent dead link‍] nature-shetland.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2009. This source suggests that this is "a debatable breed, the Kennel Club variety probably differing significantly from the dogs that were used in Shetland in the past".
  29. ^ Threlfall, Sine "Breed History" Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Skye Terrier Club Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  30. ^ Savill, Richard (5 July 2006) "Skye Seven raise hope for breed's survival" The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  31. ^ "Conservation Priority List". The Livestock Conservancy. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Breed History" Clydesdale Horse Society. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  33. ^ "Eriskay Pony". Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  34. ^ "Watchlist: Eriskay" Archived 20 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  35. ^ "History of Highland Ponies" Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Strathspey Highland Ponies/freespace.virgin.net. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  36. ^ "Highland Pony" mahalo.com. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  37. ^ Both sources state that fossil remains of the ancestors of the modern breed have been found dating from "60,000 BC" prior to the last Ice Age.
  38. ^ "Breed History" Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Shetland Pony Studbook Society. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  39. ^ "Shetland Pony" Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Equine World. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  40. ^ "Watchlist: Boreray" Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Retrieved 20 July 2009. This categorisation indicates that fewer than 300 individuals are known to exist.
  41. ^ "Castlemilk Moorit". Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University Dept. of Animal Science. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  42. ^ "Castlemilk Description". Castlemilk Moorit Sheep Society. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  43. ^ "Cheviot". Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Animals Science. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  44. ^ "History of the Breed" Archived 22 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Hebridean Sheep Society. Retrieved 20 July 2009. The breed is sometimes referred to as "St. Kilda Sheep", although it has no specific connection with the archipelago.
  45. ^ "North Country Cheviot". Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Animal Science. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
  46. ^ "A historic Introduction". The Native Sheep of North Ronaldsay. Sheep-Isle. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  47. ^ "Scottish Blackface" sheep101.info/breedsS. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  48. ^ "Shetland". Sheep Breeds - S-St. Sheep101.info. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
  49. ^ "A Thumbnail History Of The Soay Sheep Of St. Kilda" Southern Oregon Soay Sheep Farms. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  50. ^ a b "Galloways and Fell Galloways" Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Fell Pony Museum. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  51. ^ Bailey, Susan (24 January 2008) "The Evolution Of The Yorkshire Terrier" articlealley.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009. This source suggest the Paisley and Clydesdale were two distinct breeds at one time.
  52. ^ Culley, George (1807) Observations on Livestock London. Wilkie, Robinson et al. pp 146, 160–161. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
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