Argali

Facts

IUCN NEAR THREATENED (NT)

Facts about this animal

The argali is the largest of all wild sheep, males standing 104-120 cm at the shoulder. The horns of the rams measure 90-100 cm or more. The record trophies vary according to subspecies, e.g. they are larger in the Marco Polo sheep than ion the Gobi argali.

Did you know?
that at the Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve in Mongolia, you have opportunities of watching these beautiful animals from specially prepared shelters from the closest distance? The animals are really calm because they are well protected and, therefore, not afraid of humans.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	ARTIODACTYLA
Suborder	RUMINANTIA
Family	BOVIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Ovis ammon
Name (English)	Argali
Name (French)	Argali; Mouflon d'Asie; Mouflon d'Eurasie
Name (German)	Argali; Asiatisches Wildschaf; Mufflon
Name (Spanish)	Argalí; Muflón argal; Muflón de Marco Polo
Local names	Ladakhi: Nayan (male), Nayanmo (female Tibetan: Nyang
CITES Status	Appendix II (O. a. argali), Appendix I (O. a. nigrimontana and O. a. hodgsonii)
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Vladislav Jiroušek

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Highlands of Central Asia: Ovis ammon ammon: China, Mongolia, Russian Federation Ovis ammon collium: Kazakhstan Ovis ammon darwini: China, Mongolia (Gobi argali) Ovis ammon hodgsoni:Bhutan, China, India, Nepal Ovis ammon jubata: China Ovis ammon karelini: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Ovis ammon nigrimontana: Kazakhstan Ovis ammon polii: Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan Ovis ammon severtzovi: Uzbekistan, extinct in Kazakhstan
Habitat	On hilly terrain and on steep slopes near hight mountains, above 1300m above sea level, in dryer habitat.
Wild population	No data for the species as such. Subspecies collium less than 8,000, jubata 600-700, karelini less than 10,500, nigrimontana less than 250, polii less than 15,000 (all data according to IUCN, 1997)
Zoo population	14 (mostly O. a. collium) reported to ISIS (2007)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Vladislav Jiroušek

Why do zoos keep this animal

Regrettably only very few zoos keep the argali, which would be a perfect ambassador species for its habitat, the Central Asian mountain ranges and grasslands. For some of the subspecies the building up of an ex situ insurance population might be beneficial, but currently there are no coordinated conservation breeding programmes.

How this animal should be kept

Argali are social animals and should be kept in groups consisting of several adult males and females and their offspring, or in bachelor groups.

For up to 8 adults an outdoor enclosure of at least 500 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 50 m² per each additional adult. There should also be a smaller enclosure for temporarily separating individual animals as may be required. There must be some shelter protecting from rain, wind and sun, which must be large enough to accommodate all animals, but the animals are cold resistant and no closed stable is required, although a stable may be useful for trapping individual animals.

Climbing opportunities must be provided by natural rocks or artificial rockwork. Marly limestone ("mergel") is an ideal substrate for covering the soil. In case of sand-covered or natural soil there should be paving the feeding sites and around the shelter.

Argali are selective grazers/browsers. They should be fed on a diet of good hay, grass, branches in leaves, coniferous branches, pellets and mineral salt.