Detailed Description:
Argali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovis_ammon
Conservation status: Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Genus: Ovis
Species: O. ammon
Binomial name: Ovis ammon
The argali, or the mountain sheep (species Ovis ammon) is a 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 (47 in) and weighing as much as 140 kg (310 lb). The Pamir argali (also called Marco Polo sheep, for they were first described by that traveller) may attain more than 6 ft (1.8 m) 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 (6.2 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 an endangered or threatened species 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.
Some sources classify mouflon 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.
Altaigate Scandal
There is a developing scandal caused by the top Russian VIP-poaching on the legally protected Altai Argali Sheep (subscpecies Ovis ammon ammon) that led to the helicopter crash on 9-1-9 and the death of 7 poaching participants, including Russian Plenipotentiary of the President to the State Duma. Since then various Russian NGOs and public and press and media are fighting for full-scale investigation related to VIP-poaching in the globally important nature sites of the Altai and associated corruption at all levels of the Russian State. With so far mimor results and with the whole case made secret from public.
Subspecies
Currently nine subspecies of argali are recognized:
Altai argali, (Ovis ammon ammon)
Karaganda argali, (Ovis ammon collium)
Gobi argali, (Ovis ammon darwini)
Tibetan argali, (Ovis ammon hodgsoni)
North China argali, (Ovis ammon jubata)
Tian Shan argali, (Ovis ammon karelini)
Kara Tau argali, (Ovis ammon nigrimontana)
Marco Polo argali, (Ovis ammon polii)
Severtzov argali, (Ovis ammon severtzovi)