The Valais Blacknose is a large, robust build, but well proportioned, harmonious sheep breed. They were named after the uniform black spot on the nose and the snout. It is a breed having excellent adaptability and requiring little care, which can be reared with good results even under bleak montane conditions. It comes from the region known as the Canton of Valais (or Wallis in German) in the German language area of Switzerland, where it was documented as far back as the 15th century. They are bred first of all for their wool used in the cottage industry. They are out-of-season breeders with good fertility and excellent lamb rearing traits. They can raise 1.6 lambs a year. Both sexes have unique spiral horns. The body is covered with white, balanced and natural fleece uniformly. The height at withers at the age of 2 is 72-78 cm and 75-83 cm for the ewes and rams respectively. At the age of 2 weights for ewes range from 70 and 90 kg, and ram weights vary from 80 to 125 kg.