The argali, Ovis ammon, also known as the mountain sheep, is the largest species of wild sheep. It is native to the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet and the Altai Mountains. The name argali is the Mongolian word for wild sheep. Argali stand 85 to 135 centimetres at the shoulder and measure 136 to 200 centimetres from head to the base of the tail, and the ewe is the smaller sex by a considerable margin, sometimes weighing less than half as much as the ram. Rams typically weigh 97 to 328 kilograms. The Pamir argali, also called Marco Polo sheep, is the largest race on average. The argali is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, and it is hunted for its meat and horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Argali (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitatQuote, Distribution and habitat
Argali range from central Kazakhstan in the west to the Shanxi Province in China in the east and from the Altai Mountains in the north to the Himalayas to the south.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Argali (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitatQuote, Distribution and habitat
Argali range from central Kazakhstan in the west to the Shanxi Province in China in the east and from the Altai Mountains in the north to the Himalayas to the south.
Sources
1. Argali (Wikipedia)
Conservation
The argali is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Lead
The argali (Ovis ammon), also known as the mountain sheep, is the largest species of wild sheep.
Behaviour and ecology
By the time their teeth develop, lambs are capable grazers, but the ewes continue nursing them from August to May of the following year.
Conservation, threats
It is hunted for its meat and horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, and poaching continues to be a major threat.
Behaviour and ecology, lifespan
Most argali live five to 10 years, but are capable of living 13 years in the wild.
Taxonomy
Currently, nine argali subspecies are recognized:
Altai argali (O. a. ammon) occurs in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia; its range extends marginally north into the Gorno-Altai and Tuva republics of Siberian Russia, extreme northeast Kazakhstan, and southwest into Xinjiang, China.
Distribution and habitat
Argali range from central Kazakhstan in the west to the Shanxi Province in China in the east and from the Altai Mountains in the north to the Himalayas to the south.
View the SourceArtiodactyla (Wikipedia)
In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematicsQuote, In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematics
The bovids (Bovidae) are the most species-rich family.
Bovidae - Wikipedia
Child Taxon Of: Bovidae, LeadQuote, Child Taxon Of: Bovidae, Lead
Bovidae is the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, bison, buffalo, antelopes, and goat-antelopes such as sheep and goats.
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