This is a list of domestic animal breeds originating in Scotland. To be considered domesticated, a population of animals must have their behaviour, life cycle, or physiology systemically altered as a result of being under human control for many generations.[1]
Scotland has produced some of the longest-established domestic animal breeds. There are thirty-seven extant animal breeds from Scotland, and three that are extinct. The Soay Sheep has prehistoric origins, and the Galloway breed of beef cattle dates back several hundred years. New breeds have also been developed more recently in Scotland, such as the Scottish Fold cat, which dates from 1961.[2]
The North Ronaldsay Sheep is a most unusual breed, subsisting largely on a diet of seaweed.[3] The Boreray was in 2012 the only sheep breed listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as 'critical', its highest level of concern at that time;[4] in 2022 it was listed as 'at risk', the lower of the two levels of concern of the Trust. Some breeds, such as the Shetland Pony and the Border Collie are well known throughout much of the Western world, whilst others such as the Scots Dumpy chicken are little-known, even at home. Fifteen breeds of dog have Scottish origins, including six terrier breeds.[5] Indeed, the relative isolation of many Scottish islands has led to a preponderance of breeds from these places being represented. Various breeds are now extinct, including the Grice, an archaic and somewhat aggressive pig.[6]
| Breed | Image | Place and date of origin | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Angus | Aberdeenshire, Angus, 18th century | not at risk[7] | ||
| Ayrshire | Ayrshire, before 1800 | not at risk[8] [9] | ||
| Belted Galloway | Galloway, 17–18th century | rare[10] | ||
| Galloway | Galloway, 700–1100 | not at risk[11] | ||
| Highland | West Highlands, before 1800 | not at risk[12] | ||
| Luing | Luing, after 1947 | not at risk[13] | ||
| Shetland | Shetland, 700–1100 | at risk[14] |
| Breed | Image | Place and date of origin | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scots Dumpy | Highlands, 11th century | priority; rare[15] | ||
| Scots Grey | Lanarkshire, 16th century | priority; rare[16] |
| Breed | Image | Place and date of origin | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearded Collie | Highlands, 16th century | vulnerable native breed[17] | ||
| Border Collie | Scottish Borders, late 19th century | not at risk[18] | ||
| Border Terrier | Scottish Borders, 1700s | not at risk[19] | ||
| Cairn Terrier | Scottish highlands, 16th–19th century | not at risk[20] | ||
| Dandie Dinmont | Skye and Scottish Borders, mid-18th century or earlier | vulnerable native breed[21] | ||
| Golden Retriever | Glen Affric, 1865 | not at risk[22] | ||
| Gordon Setter | Moray, 1700s | vulnerable native breed[23] | ||
| Rough Collie | Scottish Highlands, 19th century | not at risk[24] | ||
| Smooth Collie | Scotland, 19th century | vulnerable native breed | ||
| Scottish Terrier | Aberdeen, 15th–16th century | at risk[25] | ||
| Scottish Deerhound | Probably the Highlands, possibly in the Middle Ages | vulnerable native breed | ||
| Shetland Sheepdog or Sheltie | 1900s | not at risk[26] | ||
| Skye Terrier | Skye, before 1588 | vulnerable native breed[27] [28] | ||
| West Highland White Terrier or Westie | Skye & Argyll, 16th century | not at risk |
| Breed | Image | Place and date of origin | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clydesdale | Clydesdale, 1750s | at risk[29] | ||
| Eriskay Pony | Hebrides | critical[30] [31] | ||
| Highland Pony | Highlands and Islands, 16th century | at risk[32] [33] [34] | ||
| Shetland Pony | Shetland, B.C. | not at risk[35] [36] |
| Breed | Image | Place and date of origin | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boreray | St Kilda, Scotland, 1930s | critical[37] | ||
| Castlemilk Moorit | Dumfriesshire, from more ancient Scottish and other breeds including Soay and Shetland, 1900s | critical[38] [39] | ||
| Cheviot | Scottish Borders, 14th century or earlier | not at risk[40] | ||
| Hebridean | Cumbria, probably from sheep from the Hebrides, 19th century | rare[41] | ||
| North Country Cheviot | Cheviot Hills, Caithness, Sutherland, 18th century | UK and North America[42] | ||
| North Ronaldsay | North Ronaldsay, Iron Age | rare[43] | ||
| Scottish Blackface | Scottish Borders, about 1500 | not at risk[44] | ||
| Shetland | Shetland, Iron Age | UK and North America[45] | ||
| Soay | Soay, St Kilda, Neolithic or Bronze Age | rare[46] |
Prior to their demise, the Paisley Terrier contributed to the bloodline of the Yorkshire Terrier and the Scottish Tan Face to the Boreray sheep. Although Galloway Ponies were praised by Gervaise Markham in the 17th century for their "fine shape, easie pace, pure metall and infinit toughness", true to form Samuel Johnson described them as "common hackneys".[47] It shares its origins with the still extant Fell Pony. A model of the Grice, whose habit of attacking lambs cannot have aided its survival, was recreated by a taxidermist in 2006.[6]
| Breed | Species | Date of Origin | Location of Origin | Date of extinction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paisley Terrier or Clydesdale Terrier | Dog | 19th century | Paisley, Clyde Valley | 20th century[48] | |
| Galloway Pony | Horse | 16th century or earlier | Galloway | post 1901 | |
| Grice | Pig | Unknown | Highlands and Islands (also Ireland) | c. 1930 | |
| Scottish Dunface or Old Scottish Shortwool | Sheep | Iron Age | Highlands and Islands (previously British Isles) | late 19th century[49] (Survives as Shetland, Boreray, North Ronaldsay, Hebridean.) |