Shetland animal breeds

Shetland has long had its own distinct animal breeds because of the area being made up of remote islands. Most of its breeds however originated from animals brought from Scandinavia by the VikingsFact|date=April 2008. Below is a list of Shetlands' domesticated animals.

Shetland pony

The Shetland pony is a small breed of pony (a type of small horse) that is very strong for its size. Shetlands range in size from a minimum height of approximately 28 inches to an official maximum height of 42 inches (10.2 hands, 107 cm) at the withers. (11.2 hands for American Shetlands) Shetland ponies have heavy coats, short legs and are considered quite intelligent. They are a very strong breed of pony, used for riding, driving, and pack purposes.

Shetland Sheepdog

The original Shetland Sheepdog was of Spitz type, similar to the Icelandic Sheepdog and other Scandinavian dogs. However, in the course of development in England as a pet breed, it was heavily crossed with other dogs including Collies and Pomeranians, and the modern Shetland or "Sheltie" now resembles a miniature Rough Collie. The original type of working Shetland Sheepdog does not survive. Modern Shetland Sheepdogs are used primarily as pets, but excel at canine sports such as agility and obedience. Most retain some herding instinct, to varying degrees.

Shetland Cattle

The cattle kept on Shetland developed as a very hardy small breed, used for both dairy and beef. Modern Shetland cattle are usually pied black and white, although other colours were common in the past and sometimes still occur. These cattle are similar in type to other European traditional cattle breeds, and are sometimes used for conservation grazing (the manageement of natural habitats using grazing animals).

Shetland sheep

Sheep have been on the Shetland Isles for at least a thousand years. They are one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep, a group which also includes the Hebridean sheep, Finnsheep, Norwegian Spaelsau, Icelandic sheep, Romanov and others. Shetlands are classed as a landrace or "unimproved" breed.

Although Shetlands are small and slow-growing compared to commercial breeds, they are hardy, thrifty, easy lambers, adaptable and long-lived. The Shetland breed has survived for centuries in difficult conditions and on a poor diet so they thrive in better conditions. Shetlands retain many of their primitive survival instincts so they are easier to care for than many modern breeds.

Shetland pig

The archipelago used to have its own breed of pig, known as the grice. Small in size, yet ferocious, this domesticated breed of pig fell out of favour with crofters during the late 19th century and became extinct in about 1930.