Description of the mouflon mountain sheep. Mouflon animal

As you know, all domestic animals have wild ancestors, many of which are alive and well in our time. For a cat it is a wild forest cat, for a dog it is a wolf. But for domestic sheep such an ancestor is actually the mouflon. This wild sheep is a typical mountain dweller. Mouflons also live in Europe (in the area of ​​Corsica and Sardinia) - this is a European subspecies; and in Asia, including in the region of Kazakhstan, this is an Asian variety. The European mouflon is the only wild sheep in this part of the world.

An Asian variety of mouflon lives in the region of Kazakhstan.

Characteristics of mouflon

Mouflon is a medium-sized ram distinguished by large, tightly curled horns.. Horns are found predominantly in males; in sheep they can also occur, but only in very rare cases; they are less pronounced and smaller in size. The Asian subspecies (which can be seen in the reserves of Kazakhstan) is slightly larger in size, but otherwise practically does not differ from the European one; it also has thick horns, triangular in diameter and twisted only one turn.

In countries former USSR this species is also found in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Transcaucasia. And in foreign Asia it is found in Iran, Afghanistan, and some areas of India. The color of these creatures is reddish-brown in summer; in Asian animals it can vary to yellowish-red. The fur is short during this period. The European mouflon may have a darker stripe on its back. By winter, the coat becomes longer and acquires a darker, brown color.

The Asian wild sheep has a peculiar mane of black, brown and white hair on the lower half of its neck. The color of mouflon makes it inconspicuous against the background of the mountain landscape; This makes hunting him more difficult. As already mentioned, mouflon is a mountain sheep and is found only in this type of landscape. This wild sheep tries to avoid steep rocky slopes, preferring flat, open places.

The Asian wild sheep has a peculiar mane of black, brown and white hair on the lower half of its neck.

This animal is interesting social behavior. Sheep and lambs form large herds, numbering up to one hundred individuals; but males lead a solitary life, joining the herd only during the breeding season.

Despite this, it is the males who have a sense of hierarchy and build appropriate relationships within the group. When it is very hot, mouflons like to rest in the shade of trees. If the shadow moves, the animals move into it again. Prefer night activity, this should be taken into account by those who are attracted to hunting them. Characteristics:

• male mouflon length – 1.25 m;
• tail length – 10 cm;
• shoulder height – 70 cm;
• cross-sectional length of the horn is up to 65 cm;
• weight 40–50 kg.

Mouflon hunting

The hunt for mouflon has been going on for a long time. Only the European subspecies is of commercial importance, producing tasty meat and high-quality leather. Asian meat is also sometimes eaten, but high quality is not different. The Asian mountain sheep has mainly “entertainment” value - it is hunted for sport. It is difficult to hunt these animals because they live in inaccessible places.

Mouflon hunting

When in danger, the mountain sheep quickly flees, heading to a wide open area where it can run wherever it pleases. So mouflon hunting is not for the faint of heart. The horns of this animal are valuable; it is a real honor to obtain them. Possession of such horns is the pride of a good hunter. But it’s not only hunting that attracts mouflon lovers. Since this ram is the most close relative the familiar sheep, selection work has been underway for a long time to develop new breeds.

Thus, Academician M.F. Ivanov, using mouflon, obtained new breed sheep. This is a mountain merino that is able to graze on high mountain pastures throughout the year. In the Ustyurt Nature Reserve of Kazakhstan and in a number of other places, hunting mouflons is prohibited.

Mouflons in reserves and in captivity

Attempts to acclimatize mouflons have also been going on for a long time, and most often they are successful. At the beginning of the twentieth century, several such animals were settled in Crimea. They took root in the Crimean Nature Reserve and subsequently multiplied. When keeping mouflons in captivity, it should be borne in mind that they greatly need water. Therefore, the enclosure must be equipped with a large capacity. They do not hesitate to drink even very salt water, if there is no other nearby.

Mouflons have taken root in the Crimean Nature Reserve

The enclosure must have sufficient space, because these animals are not accustomed to cramped spaces. Mouflons are not that uncommon in the reserve. Initially, the distribution of these sheep in Europe was limited only to Sardinia and Corsica, but then they were successfully distributed throughout Southern Europe. These animals are not protected everywhere.

Mouflons also live in a nature reserve in Cyprus. The local variety of these animals is national symbol state: mouflon is depicted on various emblems, stamps, bills, coins and even on the airline logo. Hunting for it in the Paphos nature reserve is strictly prohibited. The area in Paphos where these artiodactyls live is very small - only 500 square meters. This is one large enclosure surrounded by barbed wire. So you can easily spot animals. It is prohibited to enter the “aviary” itself.

Local government pays monetary compensation to those farmers whose lands were damaged by mouflons. This allows us to save the population from disgruntled farmers who almost destroyed these rare animals. You can also look at mouflons in some city zoo, where there is an enclosure with them, but it is much more interesting to see them like this, “live”, in natural environment a habitat.

On the territory of Kazakhstan, the Ustyurt mountain reserve is famous, one of the “symbols” of which is the mouflon. He is depicted on one of the postage stamps Kazakhstan, dedicated to the reserve. Here there is much more space for these sheep; they no longer require an “aviary”, as in Cyprus.

Hunting mouflon in nature reserves is strictly prohibited

This reserve was created in 1984. At that time, the deserts of Western Kazakhstan were being developed, and the problem arose of preserving rare species flora and fauna. In addition to mouflons, there are many other protected animals and plants, including 5 species listed in the Red Book. The administration of the reserve is located more than 200 kilometers from the reserve itself - in the city of Zhanaozen.

Mouflon and argali

In appearance and size, mouflon is very similar to argali. This is another mountain sheep, also living in Central Asia and the southern regions of Siberia. What is the difference between these two closely related species? These are horns: in argali they are more curved and “pretentious”; moreover, not only males, but also females have this decoration. But the mouflon has more subtle and “aristocratic” facial features.

Argali are unknown to modern Europeans; ancient authors were well aware of them. Latin name species Ovis ammon goes back to Ovid's poem, which conveys ancient myth: fearing the terrible giant Typhon, the gods turned into different animals; Egyptian Amon turned into argali - a mountain sheep.

The ancestor of domestic sheep is rightfully considered the smallest of the mountain sheep, mouflon. Animal artiodactyl, mammal, ruminant, bovid, belongs to the goat subfamily and genus.

The height of an adult individual reaches 0.9 meters, length 1.3 meters. The female weighs only approximately 30 kilograms; the male can weigh up to 50 kilograms, due to the impressive size of the horns. Mouflon age You can easily recognize it by counting the annual rings on its horns; in the male they are large and curled, while in the females they are small, barely noticeable and flat.

The animal's fur is short and smooth, the color changes depending on the season, in summer it has a red tint, and in winter it is chestnut-brown. The summer fur coat lasts until August, when it is replaced by a coarser and more brittle winter coat.

The animal has one interesting feature, from the head to the short tail, he has a thin black stripe running across his entire back. Nose, lower body and hooves, white.

There are European and Asian mouflon, which is also called Ustyurt mouflon or arcal. Distinctive features There is very little between them, the Asian relative is a little larger and, of course, each has its own habitat. In arcala, these are Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Türkiye. Ustyursky lives in the steppe area of ​​Ustyurt and Mangyshlak.

Habitat European species, the highlands of Cyprus, Sardinia and Corsica, are found in the Armenian Highlands and Iraq. Especially, he is revered by the local residents of Cyprus, they protect the number of mouflon, and worship him as a symbol of the nature of the island. They are often depicted on coins and stamps; Cyprus is no exception in this regard, and residents of Kazakhstan also make it.

They migrate depending on the location of pastures and water bodies. They feel more comfortable on the gentle slopes of mountains and in the foothills; on rocky terrain they do not behave as confidently as wild goats. Once on the edge of a precipice or rocky gorge, the mouflon becomes absolutely helpless.

If the animal senses danger, it can quickly move across open areas while emitting loud and sharp sound signals. In nature, mouflon's enemies can be called large predators, a fox can also be dangerous for young individuals.

Mouflon nutrition

Mouflons are herbivores, feeding on cereals and other forbs, and can often be seen in wheat fields. They enjoy feasting on young shoots of trees and shrubs.

The animal’s diet includes field plants and berries, bark and foliage. fruit trees, bulbs of some plants that mouflon takes out from under the ground. Regularly go to watering holes, mouflon ram, which can drink even very salty water.

Reproduction and lifespan

Animal mouflon reproduces faster than other representatives of the ram genus, reaching sexual maturity at two years. Mouflon females bear their offspring for about five months, after which one baby is born, rarely two or more. This happens in March and April, on the very first day the mouflon cub already gets on its feet and even starts jumping. The life expectancy of the animal is 12-17 years.

Mouflon is a herd animal; females with lambs live in herds, the number of which can reach 100 individuals. In autumn, when mating season begins, males join them.

At this time, strong and loud fights very often occur between suitors for the right to be considered the main one in the herd and, accordingly, have priority rights to the female. All other times of the year, males live in splendid isolation.

The mouflon is a very ancient animal, the first mentions of it can be found in drawings in the Sahara Desert and they date back to three thousand years BC. What is most interesting is that true mouflons, those who are the ancestors of domestic animals and sheep, now live only in Corsica and Sardinia, and the Sahara is very far from this place.

In the twentieth century, the animal became a constant subject of hunting, and the number of mouflons began to decline sharply. But they became interested in saving the species in time, and as a result, the area where they lived became protected and nature reserves were created.

The animal is the ancestor of domestic animals, so now many farms are trying to accustom it to the enclosure way of life. Mostly those born in captivity mouflons, adapted for life at home. Breeding mouflons is not difficult; any beginner can cope with it without special labor.

Buy mouflon, you can search for advertisements for sale on the Internet. To find a specimen that suits you, you need to read about the features of its content, what diet a particular individual is accustomed to, and, of course, photo of mouflon will be the final criterion for choosing a pet.

Buying such an exotic animal is not cheap, price animal ranges from 15 to 100 thousand rubles, depending on the age and documents of the individual. Animal fur is rarely used to make clothing and accessories.

Mouflon is the last representative of the mountain sheep. He is very shy and cautious, lives in the highlands in inaccessible areas and it is rare that a hunter can boast of his prey.

Mouflon fur coat, this is an affordable, high-quality and warm thing, but it is not always possible to find it on sale. In winter, the animal develops very dense and dense wool, which is what makes beautiful things that protect us from bad weather.

The enterprising Soviet academician M.F. Ivanov, developed a new breed of sheep - mountain merino, using wild mouflon. It is from merino wool that you can now most often find luxury bedding, blankets, bedspreads and, of course, exclusive and warm clothes.

Manufacturers firearms named after the animal mouflon gun, high-tech, smooth-bore and long-barreled weapons with a large margin of safety.

Like its namesake animal, it is very unusual in many aspects, including appearance and patented internal parts, even a special cartridge was created specifically for this weapon.

The smallest wild sheep currently extant in Europe is the mouflon. These representatives of the artiodactyl order belong to the mouflon genus of the same name, which includes five subspecies. It is these rams that are the ancestors of the ordinary domestic sheep. Males are called "mufrone" and females are called "mufr".

A pair of mouflons in the mountains.
Female mouflon in wildlife.
Two female mouflons.
The male mouflon raised his head above the herd.

Geography of residence

All mouflons are divided into two types depending on their habitat:

1. European mouflon.
2. Asian mouflon or arcal.

European mouflons can only be found on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, but in Lately The mouflon population was artificially resettled in the southern regions of Europe and Cyprus.

The habitat of arcals is wider; they can be found in the Transcaucasus, in the south of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, in the north-west of India, in Iran, Afghanistan and Balochistan.

More recently, a small population was introduced into both Northern and South America, for future hunting.

For their habitat, mouflons choose steep mountain slopes with rich vegetation; they can also live on gentle mountain slopes, in the foothills. In summer they rise higher. Once on a rocky area, mouflons do not feel very confident; if they find themselves on the edge of a precipice or in a rocky gorge, they become completely helpless.

Females with lambs and immature males live together; the number of such a herd can reach one hundred individuals; males join them only during the rut.

Mouflons can migrate depending on water bodies and the availability of food in the pasture.

Female mouflon in the wild.

A young mouflon with a radio transmitter in his ear.
Male mouflon on a slope.
Mouflon resting on the rocks.
Mouflon family: female on the left and male on the right.

Appearance

The difference between European and Asian mouflon is noticeable even in the photo. The European mouflon has a rather short, smooth-lying coat, longer on the chest. IN summer period The sheep's wool is reddish-brown in color, with more dark shades, and in winter it is brown-chestnut.

The height at the withers is 83-93 cm, the length of the male can reach 130 cm, of which 10 cm is the tail. Distinctive feature males have highly developed thick triangular horns, forming one curl; they can reach 85 cm in length; there are about 35 folds on the horns. Males weigh up to 50 kg. The female's coat color is slightly lighter, her weight is no more than 28 kg, she almost always has no horns, and if she has them, they are very small.

The Asian mouflon is slightly larger than its European relative. The height at the withers in males can reach 110 cm, the body length is 150 cm, and the weight is about 55-79 kg. The physique of these rams is strong and slender. The horns, spirally twisted one turn, are curved first outward and upward, and then inward with the ends facing inward. The girth of the horns can be 30 cm, and they have transverse wrinkles. Females are much smaller, weighing no more than 46 kg.

In summer, the short coat of Asian mouflons is reddish-brown or reddish-yellow. In winter, the coat becomes brown with barely noticeable red and brown tones. The fur on the belly is lighter, and along the spine there is a clearly defined black stripe, especially noticeable in adults.

The molting period for mouflons occurs at the end of February and ends in April. From May to August they have summer fur, and in September winter fur begins to appear, which is fully formed only by December.

Female mouflon in the wild, Cyprus.
A herd of male mouflons in the winter forest.
A young, strong male mouflon.
A pair of mouflons.
Mouflon goat eye close-up.

Nutrition and behavior

Mouflons adhere to a herbivorous diet; their menu includes cereals, herbs, berries, leaves of fruit trees, plant bulbs, small twigs. If not fresh water, mouflon can also drink very salty water. Throughout the spring-summer period, mouflons rapidly gain weight, but in the fall and winter the rams noticeably lose weight.

Mouflons in the wild have natural enemies- these are wolves, leopards, and foxes can hunt small lambs. If the animal senses danger, it can quickly move across open areas, while emitting loud and sharp sound signals.

Males have strong hierarchical ties within the herd, which are confirmed annually during mating fights.

Male mouflons before the fight.

Reproduction

The mouflon reaches sexual maturity at 24 - 36 months, but young males begin to reproduce only at 4-5 years, only at this age can they compete with adults. From October to December, the animals begin the rut, and in order to achieve the favor of the female, the males have to arrange real fights; only those who win receive the right to mate. After the end of the rut, the males leave the herd and live alone.

The pregnancy of a female mouflon lasts five months and ends with the birth of one or less often several cubs, this usually happens in March-April. Newborn lambs develop quickly and 1-2 hours after birth they stand on their feet and can even jump. At first, the mother feeds the newborns with her milk; after growing up a little, the lambs begin to eat the same food as adults. Mature lambs live in herds with their mother.

A female mouflon feeds her baby with milk.

Average duration life in the wild is 8-12 years.

Mouflon and man

Since ancient times, mouflon has been of interest to hunters. Their meat has an interesting taste, and their fur can be used for sewing clothes; their horns are considered valuable hunting trophy. However, it is difficult to get such a trophy - mouflons are very careful animals, and they also live in inaccessible areas. Since the population of these animals is constantly declining, their habitats are taken under protection.

Recently, attempts have been made to keep mouflons in captivity, using enclosures for this purpose. These animals quickly adapt to such conditions, so keeping them is not difficult. In captivity they can live 12-17 years.

Mouflon head: close-up photo.

1. The first mention of mouflons dates back to 3 thousand BC. - their drawings were discovered in the Sahara Desert.
2. In 2001, mouflon was cloned, and the born lamb lived for 7 months.
3. Using mouflons, a new breed of sheep was developed - mountain merino sheep, which can graze in the mountains all year round.
4. The wrinkles on the horns of males can determine their age.
5. Mouflons are especially revered in Cyprus, where they are a symbol of the nature of the island; their numbers are controlled by the state.
6. Mouflons are depicted on stamps and coins of Cyprus and Kazakhstan.

Also read:

The mouflon's closest wild relative is:

Appearance

European mouflon, mufrone (ram), mufra (sheep) - wild sheep, on high mountains Corsica and Sardinia, the only wild sheep in Europe. The coat is rather short, smooth-lying, elongated on the chest, the upper side is reddish-brown in summer with a darker back, chestnut-brown in winter; underside white; the entire length of the male is 1.25 m, of which 10 cm is the length of the tail; shoulder height 70 cm; the male has highly developed thick horns, triangular in cross section, up to 65 cm long, with 30 - 40 folds; male weight is 40 - 50 kg. The female is lighter, smaller and usually lacks horns; horns on females are found only in exceptional cases, and then they are very small.

The Armenian mouflon is a medium-sized ram or slightly smaller. Height at the shoulders is 84-92 cm, body length can reach 150 cm. Weight of males is 53-79 kg, females - 36-46 kg. Armenian mouflons are usually somewhat larger than domestic sheep. Their physique is strong and slender. The horns are large, spirally twisted, triangular, forming no more than one whorl. The horns are curved first outward and upward, and then downward; the ends are slightly turned inward. The horns of males vary greatly in length and massiveness; their girth at the base is 21-30 cm. The horns of females are small, flattened, slightly curved, and often completely absent. Numerous transverse wrinkles are visible on the horns.
The skull in males is 225-297 mm long, in females - 208-264 mm with a relatively short facial part. The preorbital fossae are deep. The length of the horny processes exceeds their girth at the base. The lower jaw has three anterior teeth on each side.

Color

In summer, Asian mouflons have a reddish-brown or yellowish-red color and short fur. In winter, the color is brownish, with poorly developed red and white tones. Belly and inner side legs are lighter, with a yellowish or white color. There is a dark stripe on the ridge, more pronounced in adult animals. Along the underside of the neck, Asian mouflons usually have a mane of black-brown and white hair. Young lambs are covered with soft brownish-gray fur.

From the end of February, Asian mouflons begin molting, usually ending by May. From May to August there is summer hairline. From September, winter fur begins to appear, which is fully grown until December.

Behavior

The distribution area is mountainous landscapes. Females and lambs form a herd of up to 100 individuals together, while males are solitary and only join the herd during the rut. Males are characterized by the presence of strong hierarchical connections within the community.

Spreading

European wild mouflons survived only on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, but it was widely settled in the southern regions of Europe. Inhabits open spaces with slightly rugged terrain and gentle mountain slopes. It lives in mixed herds, sometimes very large. In summer, males and females live separately. During the rutting season, which occurs in the fall, tournament fights occur between males.

Asian mouflon is distributed from Transcaucasia and southern parts Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to Mediterranean Sea and northwestern India.

Mouflons and humans

Hunting for mouflons has been going on for a long time. The successful acclimatization of the European mouflon has great scientific and practical significance because it can increase species composition valuable game animals. Mouflons produce delicious meat and skin. As the ancestor of domestic sheep, mouflon easily forms a cross with various breeds of sheep, improving their qualities, and therefore can be the original form for hybridization. Academician M.F. Ivanov, using mouflon, bred a new breed of sheep - mountain merino, which can graze on mountain pastures throughout the year.

Asian mouflons have no commercial significance, but are an important object of sport hunting. Their meat is eaten, although in adult males it is not of high quality. Large mouflon horns are an enviable trophy for a hunter. It is very difficult to catch mouflon, since it is a very cautious animal that lives in inaccessible areas. To shoot, you need a long-range, accurate weapon.

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Notes

Excerpt characterizing Mouflon

Many historians say that battle of Borodino the French did not win because Napoleon had a runny nose, that if he had not had a runny nose, then his orders before and during the battle would have been even more ingenious, and Russia would have perished, et la face du monde eut ete changee. [and the face of the world would change.] For historians who recognize that Russia was formed by the will of one man - Peter the Great, and France from a republic developed into an empire, and French troops went to Russia by the will of one man - Napoleon, the reasoning is that Russia remained powerful because Napoleon had a big cold on the 26th, such reasoning is inevitably consistent for such historians.
If it depended on the will of Napoleon to give or not to give the Battle of Borodino and it depended on his will to make this or that order, then it is obvious that a runny nose, which had an impact on the manifestation of his will, could be the reason for the salvation of Russia and that therefore the valet who forgot to give Napoleon On the 24th, waterproof boots were the savior of Russia. On this path of thought, this conclusion is undoubted - as undoubted as the conclusion that Voltaire made jokingly (without knowing what) when he said that the Night of St. Bartholomew occurred from an upset stomach of Charles IX. But for people who do not allow that Russia was formed by the will of one person - Peter I, and that the French Empire was formed and the war with Russia began by the will of one person - Napoleon, this reasoning not only seems incorrect, unreasonable, but also contrary to the whole essence human. When asked what constitutes the cause historical events, another answer seems to be that the course of world events is predetermined from above, depends on the coincidence of all the arbitrariness of the people participating in these events, and that the influence of Napoleons on the course of these events is only external and fictitious.
Strange as it may seem at first glance, the assumption that the Night of St. Bartholomew, the order for which was given by Charles IX, did not occur at his will, but that it only seemed to him that he ordered it to be done, and that the Borodino massacre of eighty thousand people did not occur at the will of Napoleon (despite the fact that he gave orders about the beginning and course of the battle), and that it seemed to him only that he ordered it - no matter how strange this assumption seems, but human dignity, telling me that each of us, if not more, then in no way less people, than the great Napoleon, orders to allow this solution to the issue, and historical research abundantly confirms this assumption.
In the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon did not shoot at anyone and did not kill anyone. The soldiers did all this. Therefore, it was not he who killed people.
Soldiers French army went to kill Russian soldiers in the Battle of Borodino not as a result of Napoleon’s orders, but by at will. The entire army: the French, Italians, Germans, Poles - hungry, ragged and exhausted from the campaign - in view of the army blocking Moscow from them, they felt that le vin est tire et qu"il faut le boire. [the wine is uncorked and it is necessary to drink it .] If Napoleon had now forbidden them to fight the Russians, they would have killed him and gone to fight the Russians, because they needed it.
When they listened to the order of Napoleon, who presented them with the words of posterity for their injuries and death as a consolation that they too had been in the battle of Moscow, they shouted “Vive l" Empereur!” just as they shouted “Vive l"Empereur!” upon seeing the image of a boy piercing Earth bilboke stick; just as they would shout “Vive l"Empereur!” at any nonsense that would be told to them. They had no choice but to shout “Vive l" Empereur!” and go fight to find food and rest for the victors in Moscow. Therefore, it was not as a result of Napoleon’s orders that they killed their own kind.
And it was not Napoleon who controlled the course of the battle, because nothing was carried out from his disposition and during the battle he did not know about what was happening in front of him. Therefore, the way in which these people killed each other did not happen at the will of Napoleon, but happened independently of him, at the will of hundreds of thousands of people who participated in the common cause. It only seemed to Napoleon that the whole thing was happening according to his will. And therefore the question of whether or not Napoleon had a runny nose is of no greater interest to history than the question of the runny nose of the last Furshtat soldier.
Moreover, on August 26, Napoleon’s runny nose did not matter, since the testimony of writers that, due to Napoleon’s runny nose, his disposition and orders during the battle were not as good as before are completely unfair.
The disposition written out here was not at all worse, and even better, than all previous dispositions by which battles were won. The imaginary orders during the battle were also no worse than before, but exactly the same as always. But these dispositions and orders seem only worse than the previous ones because the Battle of Borodino was the first that Napoleon did not win. All the most beautiful and thoughtful dispositions and orders seem very bad, and every military scientist with a significant look criticizes them when the battle is not won, and the very bad dispositions and orders seem very good, and serious people entire volumes have been used to prove the merits of bad orders when the battle has been won by them.

Mouflon is a cloven-hoofed animal belonging to the genus of sheep. Forms a species in which there are 5 subspecies. Representatives of the species live in the Caucasus, Anatolia, northern and eastern regions of Iraq, northwestern Iraq, and Armenia. They live in Cyprus, where they form an endemic subspecies. They were settled in the south of continental Europe. There is a small colony on Kerguelen Island in the southern part Indian Ocean. These animals were brought to North and South America for the purpose of hunting. The habitat is steep, forested mountain slopes. In winter they descend to lower altitudes.

The height at the withers reaches 85-92 cm. The body length reaches 150 cm. Males weigh on average 50 kg, females 35 kg. Males have horns. Horns are rare in females. The horns are curved almost one full turn, and their length reaches 85 cm. The tail reaches a length of 10 cm. The coat is relatively short and smooth. Its color is red-brown with dark rear stripes and light upper spots.

Reproduction and lifespan

The rutting period runs from mid-autumn to early winter. At this time, males create a certain hierarchy in order to gain access to females. This is expressed in fights. Puberty occurs at the age of 2-4 years. But young rams, after reaching sexual maturity, do not enter into relationships with females for another 3 years. Only after this period do they begin to compete with mature males. Pregnancy in females lasts 5 months. 1 or 2 cubs are born, but twins are rare. In the wild, mouflon lives 8-12 years.

Females and young animals form herds, while males live alone. They team up with females only during the rutting season. At the same time, they achieve this privilege by engaging in battle with each other. Mouflon was successfully cloned in 2001. He lived for 7 months. This is the first clone of a critically endangered mammal.

Molting in these animals begins at last days February and ends at the end of April. In May–August, animals exhibit summer hair growth. In September, winter fur begins to appear. It is fully formed by December.

Relationship with a person

These animals have tasty meat and strong thick skin, which is why people have always hunted mouflons. It is believed that representatives of the species are the ancestors of domestic sheep. By crossing with sheep, they form improved breeds. Currently, in many parts of the world, mouflon is the object of sport hunting. The main trophy for hunters is big horns. Hunting these representatives of the bovid family is a rather difficult task, since the animals are extremely cautious and live in places where it is difficult for people to reach.