Tasmanian sheep Cecil has fallen three kilograms short of the world record for the heaviest fleece.

The woolly wether underwent a major trim in Launceston after being lost in the bush for years and his fleece weighed in at a whopping 38 kilograms.

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That's just 3.1 kilograms shy of the world record set two years ago by a stray mop top from Canberra named Chris.

Cecil's fleece was wet when shorn and the weight is unofficial but he appears to have grown the world's second heaviest fleece.

The previous record holder, Big Ben from New Zealand, had earlier set the bar at 28.9 kilograms.

Cecil was rescued from a cliff ledge in a disused quarry at Heybridge in Tasmania's north-west earlier this month.

Too heavy to clamber back up, the five-year-old was stuck there for about a week without food or water.

It is believed he had been roaming nearby bushland for two years.

Cecil was lucky not to get his coat snagged in a tree, RSPCA chief inspector Ray Kroeze said.

"There have been cases in the past where sheep have been caught in trees or in fences by their wool," he said.

The stray sheep came from a property near Bothwell in the state's south but it's not known how he travelled the 200 kilometres to Heybridge.

"I'm assuming somebody local or possibly a farmer may have bought the sheep and possibly around shearing time when the lambs went in to be shorn it may have been one that got away or got out of the paddock," Mr Kroeze said.

Sorry, this video has expired Rescued sheep relieved of near-record fleece

It took shearer Susan Gunter about half an hour to relieve Cecil of his coat — 10 times longer than an average six-kilogram fleece.

"I was surprised that he just sat there," she said.

"Maybe he figured out the game was up and this might help him a lot."

The future of Cecil's fleece has not been determined.

"The quality of the wool, it's beautiful," Ms Gunter said. "It's a lovely, lovely fleece really."

"I doubt you'd make a beautiful suit out of it but you'd probably make socks, singlets or perhaps if it was too terrible make it into a wool doona.

The RSPCA is now looking for a home for Cecil.

So, unofficially, Cecil ranks second on the honour role of motley crew heavyweights:

Reigning world champion Chris - 41.1kg

Chris from Canberra smashed the world record in 2015. ( Supplied: RSPCA ACT )

Chris from Canberra holds the title of the world's heaviest fleece and he has the Guinness Book of Records confirmation to prove it.

After Chris had his locks chopped back in 2015, he trounced the previous world record by about 12 kilograms.

WA ring-in - 30kg

This no-name wether sported a pretty impressive coat. ( Mark Blechynden )

When news of Tasmania's Shaun the sheep began doing the rounds (see below), West Australian farmer Mark Bleychyden stepped forward to say he'd left one of his own shaggy sheep 30 kilograms lighter after giving it a haircut.

It was 2011 and Mr Bleychyden carried the stray wether to the sheds in a front-end loader because it was too heavy to lift.

If Mr Bleychyden's estimate was spot on and registered, his un-named shaggy trotter would have dethroned Shrek (see below).

Big Ben - 28.9kg

Big Ben became the pride of New Zealand when he took the crown in 2014. ( Supplied )

Hailing from Omahau Station in South Canterbury, Big Ben set the world record in 2014.

After being separated from his herd, Big Ben, along with three mates, avoided the shears for about six years.

Caught and clipped, he went on to take the mantle from a Kiwi celebrity named Shrek.

Shrek - 27kg

Shrek became a legend in the Shakely Isles in 2004 with his full-on fleece. ( Supplied )

In Otago country in the south island of New Zealand, Shrek slipped the shearers for six years.

Legend has it the merino wether hid in caves to avoid being rounded up.

When he was finally nabbed and shaved in 2004, he became a household name in the Shakey Isles.

He even met the Prime Minister.

Shaun - 23.5kg

Shaun looked a real contender but did not deliver where it counted - on the scales. ( ABC )

Much ado was made about this wild and woolly runaway when he was spotted on a farm in central Tasmania in 2014.

At first glance Shaun's bulky bouffant looked world-record material.

New Zealanders feared their beloved Big Ben could be knocked of his perch.

But when Shaun's fleece hit the scales, he was a good rack of suits short.

Sheila - 21.8kg

The weight of Sheila's fleece pinned her down after a fall. ( ABC News: Kieran Jones )

In 2016, a loner named Sheila was picked up by the side if the road in southern Tasmania.

Lying there motionless, she was thought to be roadkill.

As it turned out, Sheila's coat was so heavy she'd given up trying to get back on her feet after a fall.

Her rescuer said she gave him a wink as he approached.