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Argali (Ovis ammon) - Wiki
Subject: Argali (Ovis ammon) - Wiki
Ovis ammon by Line1-Argail, mountain sheep.jpg
Resolution: 1782x1035 File Size: 950174 Bytes Date: 2007:09:25 18:40:15 Upload Date: 2007:09:25 18:43:59

Argali (Ovis ammon) - Wiki


Argali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Photo] Ovis ammon in Parc de Merlet (fr:Mouflon). Date 28/04/2007. Author Lin??1 (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Lin%C3%A91)
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The argali, or the mountain sheep (species Ovis ammon) is the globally endangered wild sheep, which roams the highlands of Central Asia (Himalaya, Tibet, Altay). It is also the biggest wild sheep, standing as high as 120 cm and weighing as much as 140 kg. The Pamir argali (also called Marco Polo sheep, for they were first described by that traveller) may attain more than 6 feet in length.

The general colouration varies between each animal, from a lightish yellow to a dark grey-brown. The face is lighter. Males have a whitish neck ruff and a dorsal crest. Males have two large corkscrew horns, some measuring 190 cm/ 6.3 ft in length. Males use their horns for competing with one another. Females also carry horns, but much smaller.

Argalis live in herds between 2 and 100 animals, segregated by sex, except during breeding season. Migrating herds, especially males, have been reported. With long legs, herds can travel quickly from place to place. Argalis tend to live at higher elevations during the summer.

Argalis are considered endangered or threatened throughout their entire range, due to habitat loss from overgrazing of domestic sheep and hunting. They are hunted for both their meat and their horns, used in traditional Chinese medicine. Legal hunting of trophies has also added to the mortality.

Traditional subspecies:

Ovis ammon ammon, Altai argali
Ovis ammon collium
Ovis ammon hodgsonii, Tibetan argali
Ovis ammon karelini
Ovis ammon polii, Marco Polo sheep
Ovis ammon darwini
Ovis ammon severtzovi
Ovis ammon jubata
Ovis ammon nigrimontana

Some sources consider mouflon, the ancestor of modern domestic sheep as Ovis ammon musimon, however DNA testing has not supported this. Several subspecies of argali have been genetically tested for mtDNA and one study found that the subspecies Ovis ammon ammon, O. ammon darwini and the urial subspecies, O. vignei bochariensis grouped closely while the subspecies Ovis ammon collium and O. ammon nigrimontana grouped with the urial subspecies O. vignei arkal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argali
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Comments
Guest
there is still no information about why is this species important? what can we do to help? you have to upload your sources......
Guest
Scientific Name: Ovis ammon (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Names: Argali, Wild Sheep, Mountain Sheep; [French] Mouflon D'Asie, Mouflon D'Eurasie, Mouflon Vrai; [Spanish] Muflón Argal
Synonyms: Capra ammon (original combination)

mountain sheep
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