Argali - Endangered Mountain Sheep

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Mountain ram Arkhar is a herbivorous animal from the artiodactyl order, the bovids family, the ram genus. It is called ovis in Latin.

Characteristics of a mountain sheep

This ram was first described in the 13th century by the Franciscan monk Wilhelm von Rubruck, who traveled around Mongolia.

On the palmyra, these animals were seen and described by Marco Polo, and in the 18th century detailed data on the Argali were given by the German researcher Johann Georg Gmelin under the name Argali, which is consonant with the Mongolian name.

Now this species is considered endangered, hunting for it is prohibited. The Red Book of many countries of Central, Central and East Asia contains information about Argali.

Appearance description

Mountain sheep Arkhara are the largest among all the species of this genus. In the scientific classification, the name of the species sounds like Ovis ammon. The second part comes from the name of the Egyptian god Ammon, who, according to legend, on the eastern side of the world, turned into a ram. He was often depicted with long, twisted horns.

These are beautiful animals with a proud posture, slender body and long legs. Because of the impressive horns, their head is thrown back. Here are the main parameters of appearance and description:

• The body length in males is 1.7-2 m, in females - 1.2-1.5 m.
• The height of the ram is 106-125 cm, the height of the sheep is 95-112 cm.
• The weight of males is 110-170 kg (in exceptional cases - about 200 kg), in females the weight is 60-100 kg.
• The base of the skull in males is 25-35 cm, in females - 23-30 cm.
• The head is large, massive, with a straight or slightly humped-nosed profile; in females, the head is smoother.
• The muzzle is pointed (in females - narrowed), with white hair and light nostrils.
• The ears are very mobile, with tassels at the tips.
• The horns of males are long, twisted into a ring or a spiral, the tips are bent upward, the length can reach 2 m, their weight, together with the cranium, can reach 40-50 kg, making up 13% of the total body weight.
• Females have small horns, from 5 cm to 60 cm, slightly bent back and sickle-curved, like goats, sometimes hornless sheep are found.
• The neck is relatively short and massive.
• The chest is wide and well developed, with a circumference of 120-135 cm.
• The body in general body proportions looks slender and slightly shortened.
• The metacarpal and metatarsal bones on the legs of argali are elongated, neither mountain goat nor bighorn sheep have such a structure, this allows Arkhar to run quickly across the plain and deftly climb steep slopes.
• The hooves are 4-4.5 cm long in the front and 2-4 mm shorter in the back.
• There are 2 additional hooves on the back of the legs.
• The tail is straight, up to 18 cm long.

The coat color of Arkharov ranges from sandy-yellow (almost white) to brown-brown; in winter, the fur darkens. In the lumbar region of rams, a white spot stands out, the belly, the inner surface of the forearms and thighs, and the muzzle are painted in the same color. On the nape of males, the hair is longer, colored in a lighter tone. The mountain ram and the goat are somewhat similar, but the Arkhar does not have a beard, its horns are larger and more twisted. Rams, unlike goats, do not have aromatic glands, which give a specific smell to wool.

Habitat and habitat

The mountain sheep of the Argali or Arkhar variety lives in some areas of Central and Central Asia, in Mongolia, Kazakhstan in the east and west of Siberia. It is included in the area of ​​the Tien Shan ridge, Palmyr, Sayan. There are Arkhars in the foothills of Nepal, the Himalayas, Tibet, and some areas of Dagestan. Now it covers an area of ​​about 10,000 km², before it was much larger and covered almost the entire Asian region.

Herds live at an altitude of 1300-1600 m, prefer plateaus and gentle slopes. Although animals can often be seen on the rocks, especially where domestic animals are driving them out of more fertile and flat areas. Individuals prefer open spaces, in winter and early spring they migrate to valleys, and in summer they climb high into the mountains, to the border of alpine meadows and eternal snow. Horizontal migration is weakly expressed, it is carried out in the redistribution of 30-40 km².

Mountain sheep habitat

Otara Arkharov consists of 30-100 individuals, the largest herds now live in Mongolia. In the period between rutting, males and females with cubs keep separately. Sheep form rather large herds, rams are violently driven away from them. Males live in bachelor groups of 6-10 heads.

The alpine sheep feeds on almost all plants that can be found on the sparse mountain slopes. In summer, animals climb into the alpine meadows, where they find juicy grass rich in fiber. In winter, if the snow layer exceeds 10 cm, they descend into the valleys. From under the snow, sheep extract last year's dry grass, moss, lichens. A large animal requires a lot of plant food; it eats about 18 kg of food per day. With a lack of food in the winter, many weak individuals die.

Argali live in constant motion, moving from pasture to pasture in search of better food. They are very mobile, run well on rocky mountain slopes. They can jump over gorges up to 5 m wide, climb rocks. They run on the plain at a speed of 50-60 km / h.

Animals are fearful, at the slightest alarm they take off and run away. Natural enemies of Argali are wolves, lynxes, wolverines and snow leopards. They do not significantly affect the population size, since they destroy only weak animals. People do much more harm to Argali.

Reproduction

The rutting period for mountain sheep Arkharov begins in October or November. At this time, rams and lambs form common groups. The laws of polyandry and polygyny operate in them, several females and males participate in mating at once. Sheep reach sexual maturity already at 2-3 years old, rams only at 4-5 years old, males take part in reproduction after 5 years. Before mating, the rams arrange fights so that the females choose the strongest.

A female's pregnancy lasts 150-160 days, which is 40-50 days longer than that of a domestic sheep. Lambs are born in the spring when the amount of food increases. Before giving birth, the female is removed to a secluded place. The process lasts 20-30 minutes, a newborn lamb weighs 3-4 kg.

Most Argali give birth to one calf at a time, twins are extremely rare. The little lamb almost immediately stands on its legs and applies to the nipple. The sheep lives separately with its lamb for about a week, then joins the flock.

Argali lamb

The lambs in the herd stick together, constantly play with each other. From the second week, their horns begin to grow, and from a month, the pets are already eating grass. They feed on milk for up to 4-5 months, the same amount of time the female takes care of her offspring. From 5 months, lambs become completely independent. Harsh living conditions allow only 50-55% of young animals to survive, because of this, the Argali population cannot grow rapidly. The total lifespan of Argali mountain sheep in the wild reaches 10-13 years, but many individuals do not even live up to 6 years. In zoos, this species can live for 18 years.

Argali subspecies

Subspecies or species of Argali mountain sheep live in different regions.They differ in size, coat color, some features of standing and behavior. According to the modern classification, there are about 9 subspecies:

• Altai mountain sheep Arkhar. Lives in Mongolia, including the Gobi Desert, Tuva, in the east of Kazakhstan, south-west of Altai and Siberia, some other regions of eastern and Central Asia. It is considered the largest of all argali.
• Kazakh mountain Arkhar. Settled in the mountains of Kazakhstan, near Lake Balkhash, in the Kalbinsk part of Altai, in the regions of Monrak, Saur, Tarbagatai. It is considered one of the symbols of this country. The wool of the rams is light brown with a gray tint, the length of the horns is about 120 cm, they are twisted into a ring.
• Tibetan ram. This large subspecies is called so because it lives in Tibet, as well as in the Himalayas in India and Nepal. It has a gray-brown coat, the horns are spread out, located almost parallel to the head, twisted in a spiral.
• Tien Shan Arkhar. First described in 1873 and allocated as a separate subspecies. Lives in the Tien Shan, in the Chu-Ili mountains, in some regions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China.
• Pamir subspecies, or Marco Polo sheep. Its habitat is Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, some regions of China. It is a beautiful wine-horned species with a reddish tinge of fur on the sides and back. It was first described by the famous Italian traveler and got its name from him.
• Gobi breed or subspecies. It lives in Mongolia, in the Gobi Desert, below 45 ° north latitude, as well as in some Chinese provinces of the same region. It is slightly smaller than other Argali.
• Karatau subspecies. Earlier, herds of these sheep were found in the valleys between the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, in the south of Kazakhstan, in the mountainous part of the Kyzyl Kum desert. Now they can be found only in the Nuratau mountains in Uzbekistan or on the Aktau ridge (western Kazakhstan).
• North China Argali. The subspecies lives in the foothills of Tibet. Differs in beautiful horns, bent sickle, light wool of a gray-sandy shade.
• Kyzylkum mountain sheep. Lives in the Kyzylkum desert, in Kazakhstan. According to the latest data, its number does not exceed 100 individuals, so the species can be considered almost extinct.

Not all subspecies are classified by modern zoological taxonomy and classification as Argali. For example, Kyzylkum sheep are now bred as a separate species. Argali's closest relatives are Mouflon and Ureal, which live in approximately the same regions, but their habitat is wider.

View preservation issues

Wild mountain sheep Arkhar and all its subspecies are very few in number, some are threatened with complete extinction, therefore they are listed in the Red Book of many countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China. Not only hunting for animals is prohibited, but also the sale of skins, horns and other parts of the carcass. Despite all protective measures, the number of animals is constantly decreasing. The Dagestan population has practically disappeared, the plight of Arkharov from the Kyzylkum desert.

The huge massive horns of argali are the main trophy of hunters and poachers. Their price on black can be as high as $ 10,000. No matter how much the authorities fought against the illegal sale of horns, the clandestine trade is quite intense. Shooting is carried out even in strictly protected areas, especially in Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Central Asian countries. In addition, this organ is often used in Chinese medicine, which jeopardizes the existence of the Tibetan and Palmyra varieties.

In addition, the existence of the livestock is threatened by human activity. The main risks are caused by:

• grazing a flock of domestic sheep;
• erection of various structures and barriers along the migration routes;
• construction of railways and highways in habitats;
• mining.

The intensive development of agriculture while maintaining free grazing of livestock has significantly undermined the population in Mongolia.The disappearance of argali in Eastern Siberia is associated with the development of mineral resources in this region. Chinese animals suffer from intensive population growth, road construction even to remote areas, and the emergence of new settlements.

In order to preserve the mountain sheep and the species of this animal, protected areas are being created, where it is not only forbidden to hunt, but also graze livestock, and engage in mining. Trapping of animals is allowed only for the purpose of their further reproduction in captivity.

Argali take root well in zoos and produce healthy offspring. This gives hope that over time it will be possible to populate with new individuals areas in which the herds have long disappeared.