Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Feb 5, 2025

Being the "black sheep" isn"t always a bad thing—just ask the Scottish Blackface, seen here in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. With its striking dark features and a knack for thriving in places others wouldn"t, this British breed has turned the idiom on its head. Far from an outcast, it"s the backbone of Scotland"s rural life and a true champion of the hills and moors. Interestingly, the Blackface sheep didn"t originate in Scotland but south of the Anglo-Scottish border. The breed"s history is fascinating, and varieties such as the large-framed Perth and the medium-framed Lanark types are found across the United Kingdom. Though it"s the most common breed in the region, the Blackface sheep has spread across the world. Its coarse fleece is perfect for making durable products like carpets and tweeds—definitely not your average sweater material.

© Mike Powles/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Feb 5, 2026Salt evaporation ponds on the island of Gozo, Malta

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 17, 2025Coll dAres, Catalan Pyrenees
Oct 19, 2023Castell y Gwynt, Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom
Mar 18, 2025Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona, United States
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Jun 22, 2025Amazon rainforest, Ecuador
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Feb 27, 2024Polar bear cubs
Jun 19, 2025Beach in Santa Catarina, Brazil
Aug 16, 2024Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Dec 29, 2024Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia
Jan 15, 2025Pointe du Diable, Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island
Feb 2, 2026Alpine marmots, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
Jan 7, 2025Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
Apr 29, 2025Garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
May 21, 2024Poço Encantado cave, Brazil
Oct 10, 2025Coral reef surrounding the island of Monuriki, Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
Dec 19, 2023Cachoeira da Fumacinha, Bahia, Brazil
Dec 9, 2023Guanacos, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Dec 10, 2023Llyn Padarn lake, Snowdonia, Wales
Nov 29, 2025Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
Sep 28, 2025Town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy
Jul 30, 2024San Gimignano, Siena, Italy
Nov 28, 2025Val Brandet, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
May 22, 2025Baobab trees at sunset, Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar
Aug 9, 2024Inca ruin of Sacsayhuamán near Cusco, Peru
May 11, 2024Indigo bunting
Sep 8, 2023The Circus, Bath, Somerset, England
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Aug 8, 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Sep 9, 2025Eurasian red squirrel