The primitive sheep of North Ronaldsay Island (Orkney), which feed almost exclusively on
seaweed, have developed physiological features linked to that diet. The use of seaweed to
feed domestic animals, attested for centuries in north‐western Europe, may have appeared
soon after the arrival of the first domestic herds during the 5th and 4th millennia bc. The use
of isotope analysis of sheep tooth enamel as a means to investigate seaweed grazing in
prehistoric times was tested. The teeth of five modern North Ronaldsay sheep were …

The primitive sheep of North Ronaldsay Island (Orkney), which feed almost exclusively on
seaweed, have developed physiological features linked to that diet. The use of seaweed to
feed domestic animals, attested for centuries in north-western Europe, may have appeared
soon after the arrival of the first domestic herds during the 5th and 4th millennia BC. The use
of isotope analysis of sheep tooth enamel as a means to investigate seaweed grazing in
prehistoric times was tested. The teeth of five modern North Ronaldsay sheep were …