Taleshi
The Taleshi, or Talyshi, is an indigenous sheep breed of the Talysh region around northwestern Iran and the southwestern Caspian area. It is generally described as a small to medium, fat-tailed sheep kept by village and pastoral households for lamb, milk, and coarse wool. Coat color and markings can vary, reflecting local selection more than a tightly standardized show type.
Taleshi sheep are managed in a landscape of humid Caspian lowlands, forest margins, and mountain pastures, often with seasonal movement between grazing areas. Practical strengths are adaptation to local forage, heat and moisture, and family-scale production systems. Conservation work depends on keeping breeding ewes within the local population and documenting flocks before crossbreeding with larger commercial sheep erodes the traits that make the breed useful in its home range.
Colors: Badgerface, Black, Blackbelly, Broken, Brown, Gray, Grey, Gulmoget, Katmoget, Moorit, Piebald, Red, Roan, Silver, Solid, Spotted, Tan, White, White with Black Points, White with Brown Points
