- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold navajo-churro sheep, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the navajo-churro sheep
The Navajo-Churro is a breed of domestic sheep descended from the Spanish Churra sheep that the Diné obtained around the 16th century. Small and hardy, with long thin tails, horizontal ears and a double coat of protective topcoat and soft undercoat, ewes weigh 40 to 60 kg and rams 55 to 85 kg. Some rams carry four fully developed horns, a trait few breeds share. The breed is highly resistant to disease, and ewes often bear twins. It is raised mainly for wool, which Diné weavers have used for rugs and wall hangings since the late 1600s, and the sheep remain central to Diné culture and subsistence.
Navajo-Churro Sheep facts
- The wool comes naturally in fourteen colors, so weavers can make complex patterns without dyeing it.
- Ewes and rams can have two or four horns because of a HOXD1 gene mutation also found in Jacob sheep.
- Fewer than 450 Churros remained by the 1970s, after the 1860s killings and the 1930s livestock reduction.
- Over 8000 head were counted in 2022, and the breed is on Slow Food's Ark of Taste.
Where to see navajo-churro sheep in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding navajo-churro sheep by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
California· 1
Kansas· 1
Oklahoma· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
