Sheep breed
Lesvos (Mytilene)
Lesvos (Mytilene)
The drought-hardy semi-fat-tailed dairy sheep of Lesvos.
Description1
A medium-sized, semi-fat-tailed dairy sheep from the island of Lesvos (also called Mytilene). It is well adapted to the island's hot, dry conditions and relatively productive.
Small, slender head with a moderately convex profile, long body and a well-shaped udder; the tail is 7–13 cm wide at the base and 25–40 cm long. The forequarters are more developed than the hindquarters.
Kept year-round on pasture or in olive groves, with near-constant supplements because the pastures are degraded. Most breeders belong to village co-operatives; the source gives no data on its cheeses (tbc).
History1
Uncertain
Origin unclear: possibly crosses of Asia Minor fat-tailed and local thin-tailed sheep, or imports of Kamakugiuruk sheep from Izmir.
Later
Exported to other Aegean islands and the mainland (Attica, Peloponnese, Macedonia, Thrace).
Breed standard and breed society
The official breed description, breeding goal and herdbook rules are published by the breed's recognised breed society.
- Amalthia – Lesvos sheephttps://www.amalthia.org/en/breeds/sheep/177-lesvos-sheep
Photo gallery
All photos are freely licensed (Wikimedia Commons, Flickr); author, source and licence are shown under each image.
Sources
Accessed: 2026-10-18.