Snow sheep

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Snow sheep
Snow sheep, illustration from 1898

Snow sheep, illustration from 1898

Systematics
without rank: Forehead weapon bearer (Pecora)
Family : Horned Bearers (Bovidae)
Subfamily : Antilopinae
Tribe : Goatsies (Caprini)
Genre : Sheep ( Ovis )
Type : Snow sheep
Scientific name
Ovis nivicola
Eschscholtz , 1829

The snow sheep ( Ovis nivicola ) is a species of sheep ( Ovis ) in northeast Siberia .

features

Snow sheep reach a head-trunk length of 140 to 160 centimeters, the tail is about 10 centimeters long. The shoulder height is around 95 to 110 centimeters and the weight is 60 to 120 kilograms. The fur is gray-brown in summer, in winter it becomes woolly and takes on a light brown color. The front of the legs are dark brown, there is a light spot in the buttock region. The nose is colored white and contrasts with the rest of the dark head. The ears are small and dark gray. Both sexes have horns, but these are significantly lighter than those of the closely related bighorn sheep . The horns of the males are up to 90 centimeters long, they turn backwards, downwards and around the ears upwards again and can start a second rotation in old males. The horns of the females are significantly lighter and protrude backwards like a saber.

distribution and habitat

Distribution map

Snow sheep inhabit the mountains in northeastern Siberia. An isolated population, the subspecies O. n. Borealis , inhabits the Putorana Mountains , the other animals live east of the Lena as far as Chukotka and Kamchatka .

Way of life

Snow sheep are skilled climbers who can cope well with rocky, impassable terrain. They live in large groups, usually separated by sex. In the male groups, a ranking is formed mainly due to the size of the horns, which is usually also observed during the mating season - higher-ranking animals are more likely to be involved in reproduction. If two males have horns of approximately the same size, a fight ensues. The animals attack each other with their heads bowed and collide with their horns.

Snow sheep are herbivores that feed on grasses and lichens.

Reproduction

After a gestation period of around 8.5 months, the female usually gives birth to a single young. This is weaned at 4 to 6 months. Sexual maturity occurs in females at 2 and in males at around 5 years. Life expectancy is around 9 years.

Danger

Illustration on a Russian postage stamp

The main danger for the snow sheep is hunting. However, precise information on the degree of endangerment cannot be given, the IUCN lists the species as not endangered. Only the isolated population of the Putorana Mountains ( O. n. Borealis ) is listed as "endangered" ( vulnerable ).

Systematics and naming

The snow sheep is one of five species of the genus sheep ( Ovis ). It is more closely related to the North American sheep ( bighorn sheep and dall sheep ) than to the other Asian sheep. Sometimes it was even grouped into one species with the bighorn sheep.

The Dall sheep can also sometimes be found under the name “snow sheep”. To distinguish it from this, the snow sheep is also referred to as the Siberian snow sheep or Kamchatka snow sheep.

The classification of the subspecies is still unclear, but until DNA studies provide more precise results, working groups of the GSC / Ovis have agreed to differentiate the following subspecies:

  • The Kamchatka snow sheep ( Ovis nivicola nivicola ) is usually relatively dark and without a light facial mark, its horns are thick. It lives on the Kamchatka Peninsula south of latitude 60 degrees north. The existence is secured.
  • The Koryak Sheep ( Ovis nivicola koriakorum ) lives in the Korjak Mountains in the Autonomous Okrug of the Korjaks in the north of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
  • The Kolyma snow sheep ( Ovis nivicola kodarensis) occurs in the Kolyma Mountains .
  • The Yakutian snow sheep ( Ovis nivicola lydekkeri ) lives mainly in Yakutia , the eastern border is the Kolyma . The existence is secured.
  • The Okhotsk snow sheep ( Ovis nivicola alleni ) lives mainly in the Khabarovsk region of eastern Siberia and in the Magadan Oblast to the city of Magadan in the north. The western limit of distribution follows the Yakut border to the south.
  • The Putorana snow sheep ( Ovis nivicola borealis ) lives far away from the other snow sheep in the Putorana Mountains and is considered endangered.

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
  • DE Wilson, DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0801882214

Web links

Commons : Snow Sheep ( Ovis nivicola )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files