Sheep

Used in:

• Ether 4:20 [9:18] (27 other sheep references that are metaphors)

What does the Book of Mormon state?

• Sheep existed in the Jaredite times
• No mention of sheep as local animals in Nephite times

At face value - Did sheep exist in the New World?

• Unknown

Statement

• Sheep belong to the order Artiodactyla
• Includes sheep, goats, deer, hippopotamus, camels, giraffe, antelope, cattle, and swine
• Subfamily Caprinae
• Goats, sheep, Barbary sheep, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain goats
• Only Bighorn sheep may have had a range that included Mesoamerica known to the Jaredites
• Subfamily Capreolinae
• Deer, elk, moose, brocket
• Deer and brocket deer are endemic to Mesoamerica
• White-tailed deer made up to 70% of Mayan diet
• Mayans domesticated brocket deer
• Can "sheep" mean "deer"?
• Hebrew is not clear on this matter
• Words for sheep can also mean goats or flocks in general

Assessment

• Unknown, the Hebrew word for sheep is a generic term