Hebridean sheep have arrived at National Trust Formby

The sheep have arrived at National Trust Formby.

A spokesman said: "You don’t have to look too hard at the sheep to see that one of them has four horns. He’s called Spike and it is natural for Hebridean sheep to have four horns. Originally, they all had four, but over the many years the breed has been around, the four horned gene has been bred out them. This is for a number of reasons, which can include weakness in the horns and the obvious difficulties that come with shepherds trying to handle a many horned animal. Occasionally, a four horned sheep will appear, so you could say young Spike is a bit of a throwback to his ancient ancestors."

The sheep are from Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

Please remember to keep dogs under close control by the fields.