Its pure white coat and long silky ears suggest this sheep is no domestic dolly, but it’s hard to believe the animal is so rare a Chinese farmer has turned down 12 million Yuan (£1.1m) for the livestock.

Land owner Paerhati bought the Wagir sheep from Afghanistan last March when it was just a lamb and shunned the huge cash offer in favour of breeding the animal, which will soon be suitable for mating.

Also known as the "Swordsman sheep", only around 1,000 pure blooded animals are believed to exist worldwide.

The “Swordsman” isn’t the only four-legged creature to attract huge sums of money, see nine more of the world’s most expensive animals, below:

Which animal would you splash the cash for? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments section below.

Words: Anna Pollitt. Pictures: Rex Features

Deveronvale Perfection Sheep - £231,000

The Swordsman isn't the only sheep to come with an eye-watering price tag - Scottish farmer Graham Morrison paid £231,000 for six-month-old Texan Ram "Deveronvale Perfection" at auction in 2009. Morrison said the lamb had "surpassed my wildest dreams."

The Green Monkey Racehorse - $16 million

The multiple award-winning American Thoroughbred sold for a record $16 million (£9.9 million) in 2006 and his stud fee remains at $5,000.

Missy The Cow - $1.2 million

In 2009, a three-year-old black and white Holstein cow named Missy sold for $1.2 million (£740,000) in Ontario, Canada, making it the most expensive cow in the world.

Big Splash The Dog - $10 million Yuan

Man’s most expensive best friend came in the shape of red Tibetian Mastiff Big Splash, who was sold to a wealthy coal baron in northern China for a whopping $10 million Yuan (£945,000) last year.

Platinum Arowana Fish - $80,000

This one of a kind species is completely white and is so rare that its breeders in Singapore turned down $80,000 (£50,000) for the fish in 2007.

Fluffy The Snake - $50,000

The late python Fluffy, who passed away in 2010, was the world’s longest snake, measuring over 24 feet (7.3 meters) long, and weighing a substantial 300 pounds. It fetched $50,000 (£31,000) when it was sold to the Columbus Ohio Zoo in 2007.

Dubai Prince’s Camel - $2.7 million

In 2008, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the son of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed, invested $2.7 million (£1.6 million) on a single camel during a desert festival in Abu Dhabi. The reason for the animal’s hefty price tag was kept under wraps.

Dutch Pigeon - $328,000

A pigeon-fancying shipping magnate paid a record $328,000 (£203,000) for a female bird in Belgium earlier this year. Chinese businessman Hu Zhen Yu intends to breed the pigeon for sport.

Lancelot Encore The Dog - $155,000

Little Lancelot Encore may look like an ordinary Labrador but the pup is actually the product of cloning. When Florida couple Edgar and Nina Otto's beloved dog Lancelot died of cancer they paid $155,000 (£96,000) to biotech firm BioArts International for a replica pooch.