Moufflon - is that for an animal?

Mouflon - who is this? A wild animal that is regarded as the oldest representative of the animal world, is called the mouflon. He is the ancestor of the domestic sheep. Similar in appearance to sheep, the main similarity is the large curved horns and thick wool.

Description

The Mouflon, an animal on the verge of extinction. The wild mouflon of small size. The height of an adult is ninety centimeters, and body length is 1 meter 30 cm, Males larger than females. First weigh about 50 kg (also due to the heavy horns), and the second is 30 kg. Interestingly, the age of wild birds is determined by annular growths on the antlers. In females the horns are often small. Animal's hair changes color depending on the time of year. In the summer it acquires a red color, in the winter dark. The mouflon (wild sheep) unusual horn structure and a valuable fur, so in many countries inhabited by these amazing animals, they are being hunted.

Due to the fact that the number of sheep is rapidly declining due to human fault, this kind of sheep listed in the Red book. The mouflon is a rare and beautiful animal, requiring protection from mass destruction. Eastern wild sheep (Asian species) differs from the European one massive structure. These cloven-hoofed animals on the face is the beard. The body length of 1 m 50 cm, height - 95 cm, while the male weighs up to 80 kg, females 45 kg. the male's horns are powerful, strongly twisted back, the belly white.

Mouflon is also called "the last sheep of Europe", because there were not enough individuals. This animal belongs to the family of bovids. The legs of the mouflon are long and thin, the head is raised up, hook-nosed and proportional.

Where

If you look at the photo, vaguely similar to mouflon sheep. He lives in the highlands. There are two varieties of this breed, which differ from other places of distribution: this wild Asian and European. The last species is found mainly on the mountainous coast of the Mediterranean sea (Corsica, Cyprus, Sardinia). European lives and reproduces in Iraq and Armenia.

Found in artiodactyls and the island of Crimea. There he lives, mostly in the reserves and maximally adapted to the local climate. In Europe lives in natural conditions, but individuals there are not many. The Asian mouflon, unlike the European, the massive structure of the body, the horns more twisted ago. This cloven-hoofed lives in South Asia: Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

In the Crimea mouflon was introduced in the early twentieth century. Weather conditions and climate have contributed to their acclimatization, so they have successfully taken root on the Peninsula. Animals began to multiply, but after a while they began to hunt the poachers. Due to the destruction of wild sheep in the Crimea there were only eight individuals. To keep the population in 1923 decided to open the reserve. There animals are under constant guard, it helped to preserve and increase the number of cloven-hoofed animals.

Now in the reserve for more than thirty sheep. The area has all conditions for comfortable life of a sheep, because they prefer the gentle mountain slopes, open spaces, mountain-steppe vegetation. Try to avoid these animals are very narrow gorges, steep slopes, high cliffs.

Mouflon European mainly lives in Spain and southern France. Loves open spaces, small slopes. European individuals of modest size, but they can jump to a height of two to three meters. Feature of cloven-hoofed that he may live long without water.

What it eats

The bighorn sheep is a herbivore, the main part of its diet are grasses and cereals. It often feeds in agricultural fields, destroying crops. Sheep eat sedges, leeks, feather grass, berries, mushrooms, lichen, moss. Animals in winter from under the snow mined the roots of the plants.

Lifestyle

Mouflon is a wild, freedom-loving animal, he prefers to migrate and not to settle strictly in one area. Its main route - the watering holes and pastures. Mouflons are primarily nocturnal, resting by day in woods or wide mountain gorges. Females with cubs live in a herd of one hundred individuals. Males prefer solitude, they can be found in the herd only during mating. These cloven-hoofed animals there is a strict hierarchy. Young males up to three years are not allowed Mature individuals to mate. Tothe enemies of mouflon can be attributed to wild predators: lynx, steppe wolf and Wolverine.

Reproduction

Mouflon Females capable of reproduction at two years of age. Pregnancy lasts five months. Often the light appears one or two of a baby mouflon. On the first day of their lives, they can move freely. Procreation falls on spring months in most cases. The lifespan of this cloven-hoofed is about fifteen years. The European mouflon breed well in captivity, and Asian - bad.

People actively engaged in breeding sheep. Highly prized meat, skin and wool of the animal. In taste the meat of mouflon superior to the ordinary lamb. In winter wool cloven-hoofed becomes dense and thick. In Northern countries it's used to make coats. Cloven-hoofed animals actively bred on farms, because of the valuable qualities of these animals. The Asian species do not have such high value, its meat less tasty and useful.

Features

If you know the way of life of the wild RAM, you can do it acclimatized and independent breeding. Mouflon interbreed successfully with normal sheep. Such selection allows us to derive a new stable rock which gives tasty meat. For example, academician M. F. Ivanov with mouflon brought mountain Merino. This is a new breed of sheep, which during the whole year grazing on pastures in the mountains. To improve the quality of domestic sheep used for breeding and further propagation is the mouflon.

Sometimes the "mouflon" is called a foolish man, which does not have an opinion. In context this word sounds most disappointing. Do not use it in speech when referring to someone (even in jest), if you are afraid to offend people.