The Caucasus occupies the isthmus between the Black and Caspian seas. The northern border of the Caucasus is drawn along the Kuma-Manych depression, which in Quaternary times was a strait connecting the Caspian Sea with the Sea of Azov. The southern border of the Caucasus follows the state border of the USSR (currently the southern border of Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and Georgia) and runs along the river. Akhuryan, and then along a large natural boundary - the erosion-tectonic valley of the river. Araks. From the lower reaches of the river. The Araks border runs along the ridge of the Talysh ridge and goes to the coast of the Caspian Sea at the Astara point (Figure 1).
From the point of view of physical-geographical zoning, the Caucasus includes the following territorial units:
- Western and Middle Ciscaucasia;
- Terek-Kuma lowland;
- Greater Caucasus;
- Colchis lowland;
- Kura Depression;
- Lankaran lowland;
- Talysh Mountains;
- Lesser Caucasus;
- The Javakheti-Armenian Highlands, which is the northern part of the Armenian Highlands.
The Greater and Lesser Caucasus are connected by the Likhsky ridge, which is located east of the Colchis Lowland.
Thus, from the point of view of physical-geographical zoning, the Caucasus includes several fairly diverse territorial structures, and is not limited to just the Greater Caucasus Range. Consequently, the animal species inhabiting this territory, and especially those that are indigenous, can rightfully be classified as Caucasian.
These include, among others, the bezoar goat and the Armenian mouflon, which are indigenous representatives of the fauna of Armenia and the Caucasus as a whole, which is confirmed by scientific research and biological collections of the largest zoological museums in the world.
General information:
The bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus) has a fairly wide range. The species is widespread in Turkey, the countries of the Caucasian Isthmus, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and some other Asian countries. In addition, this species is found on the islands of the Greek archipelago, and has also been successfully acclimatized on other continents, for example in North America (USA, New Mexico). One of the subspecies (C. a. Aegagrus), identified by researchers (Danilkin, 2005), lives in Turkey, Iran and the countries of the Caucasian Isthmus - Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. The northernmost part of the modern range of the bezoar goat is located in Russia.
The Armenian mouflon (Ovis orientalis gmelini), also sometimes called the Armenian mouflon or Transcaucasian mountain sheep, is a native fauna species of the Armenian Highlands. It lives in Armenia (north of the Araks River), eastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq and northwestern Iran. Separate groups of Armenian mouflons are also registered on the territory of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and in the southwestern part of Azerbaijan. Outside of Asia, the Armenian mouflon was successfully introduced into the United States.
According to available data, the number of the species in Armenia is currently low. According to the most optimistic forecasts, the total population of Armenian mouflon here is only a few hundred individuals. In other parts of the range (Turkey, Iran), the number of Armenian mouflon is much higher; the species is the object of trophy hunting.
It should also be noted that the bezoar goat and the Armenian mouflon, being indigenous representatives of the fauna of the Caucasus, are at the same time not endemic to this mountainous region. The reason for this is the absence of any significant barriers preventing the spread of these animal species between the southern part of the Caucasus and other mountain ranges located to the south and west of it. One can say more: the southern border of the Caucasus is quite arbitrary and was largely formed not as a result of geological phenomena, but of many historical and geopolitical processes that took place over thousands of years in this part of the Eurasian continent.
Mouflon - who is this? The wild animal, which is considered the oldest representative of the animal world, is called mouflon. He is the ancestor of the domestic sheep. Outwardly similar to a ram, the main similarity lies in the large rounded horns and thick wool.
Description
Mouflon is an animal that is on the verge of extinction. Small wild mouflon. The height of an adult individual is ninety centimeters, and the length of the body is 1 meter 30 cm. Males are larger than females. The first weigh about 50 kg (also due to the heavy horns), and the second - 30 kg. Interestingly, the age of a wild individual is determined by the ring-shaped growths on the horns. Females often have small horns. The animal's fur changes color depending on the time of year. In summer it becomes red in color, in winter it becomes dark. The mouflon (wild sheep) has an unusual horn structure and valuable fur, so in many countries where these amazing animals live, they are hunted.
Due to the fact that the number of mouflons is rapidly declining due to human fault, this type of sheep is listed in the Red Book. Mouflon is a rare and beautiful animal that requires protection from mass extermination. The wild oriental sheep (Asian species) differs from the European one in its massive structure. These artiodactyls have a beard on their muzzle. Body length is 1 m 50 cm, height - 95 cm, males weigh up to 80 kg, females - 45 kg. The male has powerful horns, strongly curled back, and the sternum is white.
Mouflon is also called “the last sheep of Europe”, because there are few individuals left there. This animal belongs to the bovid family. The legs of mouflons are long and thin, the head is raised up, hook-nosed and proportional.
Where does it live?
If you look at the photo, mouflon looks vaguely like a ram. It lives in mountainous areas. There are two varieties of this breed, which differ from each other in their distribution areas: wild Asian and European. The latter species lives mainly on the mountainous coast of the Mediterranean Sea (Corsica, Cyprus, Sardinia). The European lives and breeds in Iraq and Armenia.
Artiodactyls are also found on the island of Crimea. There it lives mainly in nature reserves and has adapted to the local climate as much as possible. In European countries it lives in natural conditions, but there are not many individuals left. The Asian mouflon, unlike the European one, has a massive body structure, the horns are more curled back. This artiodactyl lives in South Asia: Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan.
Mouflons were brought to Crimea at the beginning of the 20th century. Weather conditions and climate contributed to their acclimatization, so they successfully took root on the peninsula. The artiodactyls began to reproduce, but after some time poachers began to hunt them. Due to the destruction of wild sheep, only eight individuals remain in Crimea. To preserve the population, in 1923 they decided to open a reserve. There the animals are under constant protection, this has helped preserve and increase the number of artiodactyls.
Now there are more than thirty sheep in the reserve. The territory has all the conditions for a comfortable life for mouflons, because they prefer gentle mountain slopes, open spaces, and mountain-steppe vegetation. These artiodactyls try to avoid very narrow gorges, steep slopes, and high rocks.
European mouflon mainly lives in Spain and southern France. Loves open spaces, small mountain slopes. The European individual has a modest size, but they can jump two to three meters in height. The peculiarity of the artiodactyl is that it can live for a long time without water.
What does it eat?
Mouflon is a herbivore, the bulk of its diet consists of grasses and grains. It often feeds on agricultural fields, destroying crops. Mouflons feast on sedge, leek, feather grass, berries, mushrooms, lichen, and moss. In winter, animals extract plant roots from under the snow.
Lifestyle
Mouflon is a wild, freedom-loving animal, therefore it prefers to migrate rather than settle strictly in one area. Its main route is watering holes and pastures. Mouflons are predominantly nocturnal, resting during the day in forests or wide mountain gorges. Females with cubs live in a herd of up to one hundred individuals. Males prefer solitude and can be found in the herd only during mating periods. These artiodactyls have a strict hierarchy. Young males under three years of age are not allowed to mate by mature individuals. The enemies of mouflon include wild predators: lynx, steppe wolf and wolverine.
Reproduction
Female mouflons are capable of reproducing offspring from the age of two. Pregnancy lasts five months. Most often, one or two mouflon cubs are born. On the first day of their life they can move freely. The birth of offspring occurs in the spring months in most cases. The lifespan of this artiodactyl is about fifteen years. European mouflons reproduce well in captivity, while Asian mouflons reproduce poorly.
The man is actively engaged in the selection of sheep. The meat, skin and wool of this animal are highly valued. Mouflon meat is superior in taste to regular lamb. In winter, the fur of the artiodactyl becomes dense and thick. In northern countries, fur coats are made from it. Artiodactyls are actively bred on farms because of the valuable qualities of these animals. The Asian species does not have such a high value; its meat is less tasty and healthy.
Peculiarities
If you know the lifestyle of this wild sheep, then you can start acclimatizing it and breeding it yourself. Mouflons are successfully crossed with ordinary sheep. This selection makes it possible to develop a new stable breed that produces tasty meat. For example, Academician M. F. Ivanov bred mountain merino with the help of mouflon. This is a new breed of sheep that can graze on mountain pastures for a whole year. To improve the quality of domestic sheep, mouflons are used for crossing and further reproduction.
Sometimes a “moufflon” is a name given to a stupid person who does not have his own opinion. In a certain context, this word sounds most offensive. Do not use it in speech when addressing someone (even as a joke) if you are afraid of offending the person.
Mouflon is a type of wild sheep. There are 5 subspecies of mouflon that can be found in Asia (Caucasus, Iraq and Iran) and Europe (mainly Corsica, Sardinia and Cyprus). Mouflon lives in partially open forested areas on steep mountain slopes. It can also be found in mountain meadows. The main threat to the survival of mouflons is habitat loss due to agricultural growth. These animals are often targeted by hunters for their highly prized horns. Crossbreeding with domestic sheep creates hybrids and reduces the number of genetically pure mouflons in the wild. Due to these factors, some mouflon populations are listed as vulnerable.
Interesting facts about mouflon:
Mouflons can reach 4 to 5 feet in length and weigh between 55 and 220 pounds. Males are much larger than females.
Mouflons are covered with woolly fur that is reddish-brown on the back of the body and whitish on the belly and lower parts of the legs. The coat becomes thicker during the winter.
Mouflons have a stocky body and muscular legs that make it easy to move on steep terrain.
Mouflons have large spiral horns that can reach 25 inches in length. The males of some subspecies also have horns, but they are much smaller compared to the size of the males' horns.
Mouflon horns grow throughout their life. The size of the horns determines status in the group, with larger horns conferring higher position and greater dominance.
Mouflons are herbivores (eat plants). Their diet consists of various types of grasses, shrubs and tree bark. Mouflons regurgitate their food and chew it several times before it is ready for digestion in the intestines.
Mouflons are nomadic animals. They often make transitions to find new areas that provide sufficient food. During winter, mouflons migrate to lower altitudes to avoid extremely cold temperatures and food shortages.
Mouflons are nocturnal animals (active at night). They spend most of the daytime hidden in dense vegetation.
The main predators of mouflons are wolves, bears and jackals. Eagles often attack young mouflons.
Males and females live in separate groups. They only mix during mating season.
The mating period for mouflons occurs from late autumn to early winter.
Males fight each other to prove their dominance and gain the opportunity to mate.
Pregnancy in females lasts 5 months and ends with the appearance of one or two cubs. The female leaves the herd to give birth in a well-hidden place. The baby can stand up and walk within minutes of birth.
30,000-200,000 rub.
Mouflon(Ovis gmelini)
Class - mammals
Order - artiodactyls
Family - bovids
Subfamily - goats
Genus - rams
Appearance
On average, mouflons reach a length of 130 cm. Height is 90 cm, weight is 50 kg for males and 35 kg for females. The general color is reddish-brown with a dark stripe along the back and faint shading spots on the sides. The bottom is white. The muzzle and circles around the eyes are also white.
Males have horns, females may or may not have horns.
In winter they grow a thick undercoat.
Habitat
Currently, mouflon is distributed in the Armenian Plateau (for example, in the Khosrov Nature Reserve in Armenia), in northern Iraq, and in northwestern Iran. There is also mouflon in Cyprus, Corsica and Sardinia: however, it remains controversial whether these are true wild sheep or descendants of the original domestic sheep.
They prefer mountainous landscapes. But, unlike goats, rams are not normally native to the rocky mountains. Open mountain stations with calm relief are more typical: plateaus, gentle slopes, rounded peaks. True, rams do not avoid and even have the habit of staying in places where areas of calm relief are combined with gorges, deep ravines or rock ledges. But gorges and cliffs serve the sheep only as places of rest and shelter from the heat and winter weather. A necessary condition for the habitat of mouflons, in addition to the presence of good pasture and a broad outlook, is also the proximity of a watering source.
Lifestyle
Females and lambs together form a herd of up to 100 individuals, while males are solitary and join the herd only during mating. Males are characterized by the presence of strong hierarchical connections within the community.
In most areas where mouflon is distributed, seasonal migrations are weak or absent altogether. Usually only minor vertical movements of populations occur. As already noted, in the summer rams move higher into the mountains, obviously attracted by the cooler climate and a better supply of lush green food. For the winter they descend to the lower mountain range. There are irregular migrations of rams in dry years due to a lack of feed and drinking moisture.
Mouflons run fast: their running is so fast and agile that “you can’t see how the animal touches the ground.” If necessary, they make high, up to 1.5 m, and long jumps, and easily jump over bushes and stones. They often jump down from heights of up to 10 m; when jumping, the head and horns are thrown back, the front and hind legs are closed together, landing on legs widely spaced.
Within their chosen habitat, mouflons lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle, sticking to certain resting, feeding and watering places. When crossing, they use the same paths, as a result of which, in areas where there are many sheep, they trample down noticeable paths.
During the day, during hot sunny hours, sheep take refuge in gorges, under rock overhangs or in the shade of large trees. They go out for feeding (grazing) in the summer when the heat subsides. They feed until dusk. Drink at sunset or early in the night. At night, at least for some time, they rest. At dawn they drink again and head to the mountains, where they graze near their daytime resting areas until the heat sets in.
The bedding of rams is apparently constant; they look like trampled rather deep, up to 1.5 m, holes, sometimes even burrows, going under rocks, roots of bushes and trees, or simply under overhanging slopes. Digging deep beds is apparently intended not so much for camouflage as for protection from the harmful effects of high temperature.
In winter, sheep graze all daylight hours. In severe cold and bad weather, they take refuge in deep gorges protected from the wind or in rocks.
The basis of mouflon's diet in the summer consists of a variety of grasses: feather grass, fescue and wheatgrass.
In winter, sheep feed on the remains of dry grass sticking out from under the snow and graze in snow-free areas. Mouflons apparently have little ability to dig out grass from under the snow. If there is a lack of other food in winter, they eat thin branches of bushes and even gnaw the bark.
Mouflons have well-developed hearing, smell, and vision. The most acute sense of smell. Mouflons are very sensitive and cautious animals. It is believed that it is impossible to approach them closer than 300 steps from the leeward side. Often, even when they see a person, they can smell him in the wind 300-400 steps away and further. Females are especially careful with lambs. On the other hand, mouflons often show signs of curiosity. Seeing a person, if he is moving calmly, they sometimes look at him without moving, and allow him two hundred steps. When running, they sometimes stop and look back.
Reproduction
Mouflons reach sexual maturity and begin to participate in reproduction in the third year of life. In some animals, estrus occurs at the end of October. The massive rut of rams in most areas occurs from mid-November to the first half of December.
At this time, animals keep in herds of up to 10-15 animals, in which there are one or two, or even more adult males. Apparently, males do not expel each other from the herd, but fights occur between them. Having dispersed about twenty meters, they quickly approach each other and strike with force with the bases of their horns, so that the sound of the impact in the mountains can be heard 2-3 km away. Sometimes males lock horns, lead each other around, fumble, fall, and make moaning sounds. However, in contrast to, for example, deer, tired males stop fighting and both peacefully remain in the herd, so that all the rams in the herd can participate in covering the females. After some time, the fight may resume. There are no known cases of severe injury or murder during fights. But at this time the males lose their usual caution and more often than usual become victims of a hunter or predatory animal.
Females behave calmly during estrus and fights between males. The courtship of wild rams towards females is similar to what is observed among domestic sheep: the male follows the female with a quiet bleat, rubs his neck against her sides, and tries to cover her. At the end of the sexual season, the males do not separate from the herds and remain with the females until spring.
Pregnancy in wild mouflons, like in domestic sheep, lasts about five months. The first cases of lambing can take place as early as the end of March, but generally the birth of young animals occurs in the second half of April and the first half of May.
Before lambing, females separate from the herd and go alone into deep gorges or rocky areas, where they give birth to lambs in secluded places. Mostly they bring two lambs, less often one or three (very rare cases when there were even four lambs).
Lambs are fed with their mothers' milk until September or October, but they begin to consume green food a little earlier, from the age of one month. The voice of mouflon babies differs little from the voice of a domestic lamb. By the age of one year, young mouflons reach slightly more than two-thirds of the height of adults and about one-third of their weight. They reach full height by 4-5 years, but the increase in body length and live weight continues until 7 years.
Life expectancy in a natural environment does not exceed 12 years.
In captivity, the mouflon is easily tamed, completely losing its fear of humans. When crossed with domestic sheep, it produces fertile offspring.
They are usually fed sheep feed and hay.
The average life expectancy in captivity is 19 years.
As you know, all domestic animals have wild ancestors, many of which are alive and well in our time. For a cat it is a wild forest cat, for a dog it is a wolf. But for domestic sheep, such an ancestor is actually mouflon. This wild sheep is a typical mountain dweller. Mouflons also live in Europe (in the area of Corsica and Sardinia) - this is a European subspecies; and in Asia, including in the region of Kazakhstan, this is an Asian variety. The European mouflon is the only wild sheep in this part of the world.
An Asian variety of mouflon lives in the region of Kazakhstan.
Characteristics of mouflon
Mouflon is a medium-sized ram distinguished by large, tightly curled horns.. Horns are found predominantly in males; in sheep they can also occur, but only in very rare cases; they are less pronounced and smaller in size. The Asian subspecies (which can be seen in the reserves of Kazakhstan) is slightly larger in size, but otherwise practically does not differ from the European one; it also has thick horns, triangular in diameter and twisted only one turn.
In the countries of the former USSR, this species is also found in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Transcaucasia. And in foreign Asia it is found in Iran, Afghanistan, and some areas of India. The color of these creatures is reddish-brown in summer; in Asian animals it can vary to yellowish-red. The fur is short during this period. The European mouflon may have a darker stripe on its back. By winter, the coat becomes longer and acquires a darker, brown color.
The Asian wild sheep has a peculiar mane of black, brown and white hair on the lower half of its neck. The color of mouflon makes it inconspicuous against the background of the mountain landscape; This makes hunting him more difficult. As already mentioned, mouflon is a mountain sheep and is found only in this type of landscape. This wild sheep tries to avoid steep rocky slopes, preferring flat, open places.
The Asian wild sheep has a peculiar mane of black, brown and white hair on the lower half of its neck.
This animal has interesting social behavior. Sheep and lambs form large herds, numbering up to one hundred individuals; but males lead a solitary life, joining the herd only during the breeding season.
Despite this, it is the males who have a sense of hierarchy and build appropriate relationships within the group. When it is very hot, mouflons like to rest in the shade of trees. If the shadow moves, the animals move into it again. They prefer to be active at night, this should be taken into account by those who are attracted to hunting them. Characteristics:
- male mouflon length – 1.25 m;
- tail length – 10 cm;
- shoulder height – 70 cm;
- cross-sectional length of the horn is up to 65 cm;
- weight 40–50 kg.
Mouflon hunting
The hunt for mouflon has been going on for a long time. Only the European subspecies is of commercial importance, producing tasty meat and high-quality leather. Asian meat is also sometimes eaten, but it is not of high quality. The Asian mountain sheep has mainly “entertainment” value - it is hunted for sport. It is difficult to hunt these animals because they live in inaccessible places.
Mouflon hunting
When in danger, the mountain sheep quickly flees, heading to a wide open area where it can run wherever it pleases. So mouflon hunting is not for the faint of heart. The horns of this animal are valuable; it is a real honor to obtain them. Possession of such horns is the pride of a good hunter. But it’s not only hunting that attracts mouflon lovers. Since this ram is the closest relative of the familiar sheep, selection work has been underway for a long time to develop new breeds.
Thus, Academician M.F. Ivanov, using mouflon, obtained a new breed of sheep. It is capable of grazing on high mountain pastures throughout the year. In the Ustyurt Nature Reserve of Kazakhstan and in a number of other places, hunting mouflons is prohibited.
Mouflons in reserves and in captivity
Attempts to acclimatize mouflons have also been going on for a long time, and most often they are successful. At the beginning of the twentieth century, several such animals were settled in Crimea. They took root in the Crimean Nature Reserve and subsequently multiplied. Mouflons in captivity should be borne in mind that they are in great need of water. Therefore, the enclosure must be equipped with a large capacity. They do not hesitate to drink even very salty water if there is no other water nearby.
Mouflons have taken root in the Crimean Nature Reserve
The enclosure must have sufficient space, because these animals are not accustomed to cramped spaces. Mouflons are not that uncommon in the reserve. Initially, the distribution of these sheep in Europe was limited only to Sardinia and Corsica, but then they were successfully distributed throughout Southern Europe. These animals are not protected everywhere.
Mouflons also live in a nature reserve in Cyprus. The local variety of these animals is the national symbol of the state: the mouflon is depicted on various emblems, stamps, bills, coins and even on the airline logo. Hunting for it in the Paphos nature reserve is strictly prohibited. The area in Paphos where these artiodactyls live is very small - only 500 square meters. This is one large enclosure surrounded by barbed wire. So you can easily spot animals. It is prohibited to enter the “aviary” itself.
The local government pays monetary compensation to those farmers whose lands were damaged by mouflons. This allows us to save the population from disgruntled farmers who almost destroyed these rare animals. You can also look at mouflons in some city zoo where there is an enclosure with them, but it is much more interesting to see them like this, “live”, in their natural habitat.
On the territory of Kazakhstan, the Ustyurt mountain reserve is famous, one of the “symbols” of which is the mouflon. He is depicted on one of the Kazakhstan postage stamps dedicated to the reserve. Here there is much more space for these sheep; they no longer require an “aviary”, as in Cyprus.
Hunting mouflon in nature reserves is strictly prohibited
This reserve was created in 1984. At that time, the deserts of Western Kazakhstan were being developed, and the problem of preserving rare species of flora and fauna arose. In addition to mouflons, there are many other protected animals and plants, including 5 species listed in the Red Book. The administration of the reserve is located more than 200 kilometers from the reserve itself - in the city of Zhanaozen.
Mouflon and argali
In appearance and size, mouflon is very similar to argali. This is another mountain sheep, also living in Central Asia and the southern regions of Siberia. What is the difference between these two closely related species? These are horns: in argali they are more curved and “pretentious”; moreover, not only males, but also females have this decoration. But the mouflon has more subtle and “aristocratic” facial features.
Argali are unknown to modern Europeans; ancient authors were well aware of them. The Latin name of the species Ovis ammon goes back to the poem of Ovid, which conveys an ancient myth: fearing the terrible giant Typhon, the gods turned into different animals; Egyptian Amon turned into argali - a mountain sheep.
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