Karakul, << KAR uh kuhl, >> is a fat-tailed sheep from which we get pelts called broadtail, Persian lamb, and caracul. Furriers use the pelts to make jackets, coats, and hats.
Karakuls are lean and have narrow backs. They can store up enough fat in their tails and back legs to live on when food is scarce. The rams (males) have wide-spreading, spiral horns, but the ewes (females) usually have none. The coarse fleece of the adult is white, yellowish, gray, brown, or black. Young Karakul lambs have a silky fleece, which in most cases is black. But it can be brown, tan, or gray. The fleece has a high luster, and is often curled until the fifth day after the lamb’s birth.
In the market, broadtail is the most expensive Karakul pelt. It has a silky, rippled appearance, and usually comes from lambs that were born too soon. Persian lamb, formerly called astrakhan, is the tightly curled pelt of lambs from 3 to 10 days old. Caracul is the wavy pelt of lambs not older than 2 months. Most skins are produced in central and southwestern Asia, India, southwestern Africa, and southeastern Europe. Some skins are produced in the United States. The skins of young goats are sometimes called caracul.
