Russell Cox, age 11, of Biloxi, Miss., for his question:    

WHERE DO WE GET PERSIAN LAMB?

Beautiful fleeces called Persian lamb, broadtail and caracul actually come from a fat tailed sheep called the karakul. 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 coarse fleece of the adult karakul is white, yellowish, gray, brown or black. Young karakul lambs have a silky fleece, which is usually black in color. Occasionally it is brown, tan or gray. The fleece has a high luster and is often curled until the fifth day after the lamb's birth.

Karakul pelts have great commercial value. The most expensive, called broadtail, usually come from lambs that were born too soon. Persian lamb is the tightly curled pelt of lambs from three to 10 days old. Caracul is the wavy fur of lambs not older than two months.

Most skins are produced in southwestern Africa, central and southwestern Asia, India and southeastern Europe.