View source for Argali

{{Short description|Species of sheep}}
{{For|the Village Development Committee in Nepal|Argali, Palpa}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Argali
| image = Karkaraly National Park 11.jpg
| image_caption = A flock of wild Argali 
| status = NT
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Ovis ammon'' |author=Reading, R. |author2=Michel, S. |author3=Amgalanbaatar, S. |date=2020 |page=e.T15733A22146397 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T15733A22146397.en |access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2 
| status2_system = CITES 
| status2_ref = <ref name=iucn/>
| taxon = Ovis ammon
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| range_map = Argali subspecies range.png
| range_map_caption = Range of the argali subspecies
| synonyms = ''Capra ammon'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
}}

The '''argali''' ('''''Ovis ammon'''''), also known as the '''mountain sheep''', is a wild [[ovis|sheep]] native to the highlands of western [[East Asia]], the [[Himalayas]], [[Tibet]], and the [[Altai Mountains]].

==Description==
The name 'argali' is the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] word for wild sheep.<ref>[http://elelur.com/mammals/argali.html Argali]</ref> It is the largest species of wild sheep. Argali stand {{convert|85|to|135|cm|ft|0|abbr=on}} high at the shoulder and measure {{convert|136|to|200|cm|ft|0|abbr=on}} long from the head to the base of the tail. The female, or '''ewe''' is the smaller sex by a considerable margin, sometimes weighing less than half as much as the male, or '''ram'''. The ewes can weigh from {{convert|43.2|to|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and the rams typically from {{convert|97|to|328|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with a maximum reported mass of {{convert|356|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The [[Pamir Mountains|Pamir]] argali (also called [[Marco Polo sheep]], for they were first described by that traveler), ''O. a. polii'', is the largest race on average, regularly measuring more than {{convert|180|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} long without the tail, and is less sexually dimorphic in body mass than most other subspecies. The argali has relatively the shortest tail of any wild [[Caprinae|goat-antelope or sheep]], with reported tail lengths of {{convert|9.5|-|17|cm|in|abbr=on}}.
[[File:Argali Stuffed specimen.jpg|thumb|left|Stuffed specimen at the [[National Museum of Nature and Science]], [[Tokyo]].]]
The general coloration varies between each animal, from a light yellow to a reddish-brown to a dark grey-brown. Argali or nyan from the Himalayas are usually relatively dark, whereas those from Russian ranges are often relatively pale. In summertime, the coat is often lightly spotted with a salt-and-pepper pattern. The back is darker than the sides, which gradually lighten in color. The face, tail and the buttocks are yellowish-white. The male has a whitish neck ruff and a dorsal crest and is usually slightly darker in color than the female. Males have two large corkscrew shaped horns, some measuring {{convert|190|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} in total length and weighing up to {{convert|23|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.  Males use their horns for competing with one another.  Females also carry horns, but they are much smaller, usually measuring less than {{convert|60|cm|in|abbr=on}} in total length.

==Taxonomy==
Currently, nine argali subspecies are recognized:<ref name=r1>{{cite journal |author1=Fedosenko, A.K. |author2=Blank, D.A. |title=''Ovis ammon'' |journal=Mammalian Species |volume=773 |year=2005 |pages=1–15 |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/773_Ovis_ammon.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115114/http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/773_Ovis_ammon.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-09-24 }}</ref>
*[[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. 
*Karaganda argali (''O. a. collium'') inhabits the [[Karaganda Region]] of east and central Kazakhstan. 
*Gobi argali (''O. a.  darwini'') lives in northern China and southern Mongolia. 
*Tibetan argali (''O. a. hodgsoni'') occurs across India, Nepal, Bhutan and China. 
*North China argali (''O. a.  jubata'') is restricted to northeast China. 
*Tian Shan argali ''(O. a. karelini)'' inhabits the [[Tian Shan]] of eastern Kyrgyzstan. 
*Kara Tau argali (''O. a. nigrimontana'') inhabits the [[Karatau Mountains]] of Kazakhstan. 
*[[Marco Polo sheep]] (''O. a. polii'') inhabits Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. 
*Severtzov argali (''O. a. severtzovi'') lives in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
*†''Ovis a. antiqua'' lived in western, southern, and eastern Europe until the late Middle Pleistocene.

Genetic analysis of [[mtDNA]] of several argali subspecies has shown that the Altai and Gobi argalis grouped closely with the [[urial]] subspecies ''O. vignei bochariensis'', while the Karaganda and Kara Tau argalis grouped with the urial subspecies ''O. vignei arkal''.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hiendleder, S. |author2=Kaupe, B. |author3=Wassmuth, R. |author4=Janke, A. |title=Molecular analysis of wild and domestic sheep questions current nomenclature and provides evidence for domestication from two different subspecies |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=269 |issue=1494 |pages=893–904 |date=2002 |pmid=12028771 |pmc=1690972 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2002.1975}}</ref>

A paleosubspecies, ''Ovis ammon antiqua'', is known from Middle Pleistocene Europe. Fossils have been found from Portugal to Georgia, including from human-made butchery sites.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rozzi, R. |author2=Palumbo, M.R. |author3=Barbieri, M. |title=The Argali (Ovis Ammon Antiqua) from the Magliana area (Rome) |journal=Il Quaternario - Italian Journal of Quaternary Sciences |issue=24 |pages=115-121 |date=2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rivals, F. |author2=Testu, A. |author3=Moigne, A.-.-M. |author4=de Lumley, H. |title=The Middle Pleistocene argali (Ovis ammon antiqua) assemblages at the Caune de l'Arago (Tautavel, Pyrénées-Orientales, France): were prehistoric hunters or carnivores responsible for their accumulation? |journal=International Journal of Osteoarchaeology |issue=16 |pages=249-268 |date=2006 |doi=10.1002/oa.822}}</ref>

==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. They are a species of mountainous areas, living from elevations of {{cvt|300|to|5800|m}}. In protected areas, the species generally prefers gently sloping areas with soft broken terrain, although ewes with lambs often take up residence in more precipitous areas, characterized by canyons and jagged rocks. In areas where they are extensively hunted (such as Kazakhstan), they are more likely to be found in forested areas. In parts of [[China]] and [[Russia]] where they compete for resources with numerous domestic stock, argali more regularly take up residence in precipitous, jagged areas. Argali may search for regions in the mountains where snow cover is not heavy during the winter, following winds that blow snow off the earth. Rams are generally found at higher elevations more regularly than females and stay at higher elevations longer during the winter.<ref name=r1/>

==Behaviour and ecology==
[[File:Argali horns, Changtang, Ladakh.jpg|thumb|Argali horns outside temporary roadside cafe, [[Changtang]], [[Ladakh]]]]
Argalis live in herds typically numbering between two and 150 animals, segregated by sex, except during breeding season. Most populations show large numbers of adult females, constituting more than half of a local population, against around 20% adult males and a further 20% young argali. Some rams are solitary, but most are seen in small herds numbering between three and 30 individuals. Females and their young live in larger groups, regularly up to 92 individuals and exceptionally to 200 animals. Migrating herds, especially males, have been reported. Most migration appear to be related to seasonally decreased food sources, though an overabundance of biting insects, especially [[horse-fly|horseflies]], severe drought or fires, poaching by humans, and large numbers of domestic livestock may also trigger movements.  With their long legs, herds can travel quickly from place to place.  Argali tend to live at higher elevations during the summer.<ref name=r1/>

{{anchor|Reproduction}}
Argali reach breeding maturity at two to three years of age. Rutting may occur from October to mid-January, generally lasting longer in lower elevations. In rutting herds, both rams and ewes attack others of their own sex, exerting dominance by ramming each other with their horns.  Although such groups engage in lamb-like play, the combat of a pair of mature males is a serious business. The rams slam into each other, with their fore legs up in the air, exerting enough force to be heard up to {{cvt|800|m}} away. Often, the older males (over six years of age), which are also often the largest, end up the dominant ones and younger males are chased off once the ewes are in [[estrus]]. Once dominance is established, the top rams begin approaching ewes and [[Flehmen response|smell their urine to determine their receptiveness]]. The ram then repeatedly approaches the ewe and forcibly mounts her. Mating commences around two to three weeks after the rutting begins. Rams may remain in the company of ewes for up to two months after the rutting period is complete.<ref name=r1/>

The gestation period lasts a little over 165 days. Births occur in late March or April, with a variable number of females being barren. Most subspecies give birth to a single lamb, though in some races, twins are not uncommon and even as many as five have been born at once. At birth, the lambs weigh {{cvt|2.7|-|4.6|kg}}. The newborn lamb and mother ewe stay around where the birth occurs overnight and, on the next day, both usually walk together. Lambs often play in groups, jumping up and down together, sometimes being joined by their mothers. Weight gain is often quite fast and the lambs may weigh 10 times their birth weight by their first birthday. Females often attain their maximum mass by two years of age, but males appear to continue to grow larger and heavier in their third and fourth years. Milk teeth develop around three months of age, with a full set of teeth developing by around six months. By the time their teeth develop, lambs are capable grazers, but the ewes continue nursing them from August to May of the following year. Most argali live five to 10 years, but are capable of living 13 years in the wild.<ref name=r1/>

Adult argali eat {{cvt|16|-|19|kg}} of food a day. The vegetation preferred by the species varies based on elevation and area. In higher elevations, they predominantly eat [[Poaceae|grasses]], [[sedge]]s, and [[forb]]s. At midelevation habitats, they more regularly feed on bushes and [[Mesophyte|mesophyte grasses]]. In the lowest ranges and the spurs of deserts,  grasses and sedges again predominate, but often of different species than the high-elevation ones. In north-central Kazakhstan, sprouts, leaves, flowers, and fruits are significant to the diet all year, whereas they appear to be a rare dietary supplement over the rest of the range. Water is needed by argali, which is rarely a problem for animals living at high elevation, where melting snow and small waterways are regularly encountered. In drier climes, argali may travel several kilometers in search of water. When available, argali readily consume saline soil.<ref name=r1/>
==Preformers==
Although they are locally [[Sympatry|sympatric]] with [[Siberian ibex]], the two species have differing habitat and pasture preferences, reducing likely competition. In [[Tibet]], the argali must regularly compete with other grazing species for pasture, including [[Tibetan antelope]], [[bharal]], [[Thorold's deer]] and wild [[yak]]s. Competition is most serious with livestock, especially domestic yaks and [[domestic sheep]], with which argali are frequently forced to intermingle and from which they often catch diseases and parasites. The main predators of argali are [[Himalayan wolves]], which often exploit harsh winter conditions (such as deep snow) to capture the wild sheep, though they can and do take specimens of any age or condition year around. [[Snow leopard]]s and [[leopard]]s are also predators of argali of any age. [[Eurasian lynx]] and [[wolverine]]s may seldom kill argali to at least the size of winter-weakened ewes. [[Red fox]]es and [[Dog|domestic dogs]] (largely those kept by sheep-herders) will prey on lambs. [[Cinereous vulture]]s, [[lammergeier]]s and [[golden eagle]]s have been observed circling herds of ewes with lambs in a possibly predatory manner and remains of argali lambs have been observed in golden eagle nests. Smaller predators, such as raptorial birds and smaller mammalian carnivores, are attacked by mother ewes, but in the presence of larger predators, the ewes quickly run away with the lambs following them.<ref name=r1/>

==Conservation==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 135-KB-17-040, Tibetexpedition, Geer mit Argali.jpg|thumb|Edmund Geer during the [[1938–1939 German expedition to Tibet]]]]
The argali is listed as [[Near-threatened species|Near Threatened]] on the [[IUCN Red List]]. It is hunted for its meat and horns, which are used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]], and poaching continues to be a major threat. It has been extirpated in northeastern [[China]], southern [[Siberia]] and parts of [[Mongolia]].<ref name=iucn/>

In [[Azad Jammu and Kashmir]], it is listed as an endangered species.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Namgail, T. |author2=Fox, J. L. |author3=Bhatnagar, Y. V. |name-list-style=amp |title=Status and distribution of the Near Threatened Tibetan argali ''Ovis ammon hodgsoni'' in Ladakh, India: effect of a hunting ban |year=2009 |journal=Oryx |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=288–291 |doi=10.1017/S0030605308000264 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Findings in the mitochondrial genome relationship and the development of interspecies nuclear transfer embryos between argali and sheep could help in conserving the species in the long run.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=C. |last2=Xu |first2=H. |last3=Li|first3=D. |last4=Wu|first4=Jiayun|last5=W. |first5=A. |last6=Xie|first6=M. |last7=Wang |first7=Q. |last8=Zhu|first8=G. |last9=Ni|first9=Q. |last10=Zhang|first10=M. |last11=Yao|first11=Y. |date=2020 |title=Phylogenetic and characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome relationship of Argali sheep (''Ovis ammon'') |journal=Mitochondrial DNA Part B|volume=5|issue=1|pages=273–274 |pmc=7748720 |pmid=33366518 |doi=10.1080/23802359.2019.1698369}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pan |first1=X. |last2=Zhang |first2=Y. |last3=Guo|first3=Z. |last4=Wang|first4=F. |date=2014 |title=Development of interspecies nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed with argali (''Ovis ammon'') somatic cells and sheep ooplasm |journal=Cell Biology International |volume=38|issue=2|pages=211–218 |doi=10.1002/cbin.10191|pmid=24123771 |s2cid=12156595}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |author=Salas, E.A.L. |author2=Valdez, R. |author3=Michel, S.  |author4=Boykin, K.G. |date=2018 |title= Habitat assessment of Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii) in Eastern Tajikistan: Modeling the effects of climate change |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=8 |issue=10 |pages=5124–5138 |doi=10.1002/ece3.4103 |pmid=29876087 |pmc=5980363 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018EcoEv...8.5124S }}
*{{cite journal |author=Salas, E.A.L. |author2=Valdez, R. |author3=Michel, S.  |date=2017 |title= Summer and winter habitat suitability of Marco Polo argali in southeastern Tajikistan: A modeling approach |journal=Heliyon |volume=3 |issue=11 |pages=e00445 |doi=10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00445|doi-access=free |pmid=29159323 |pmc=5681343 |bibcode=2017Heliy...300445S }}
*{{cite journal |author=Salas, E.A.L. |author2=Valdez, R. |author3=Boykin, K.G.  |date=2015 |title= Geographic Layers as Landscape Drivers for the Marco Polo Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan |journal=ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |volume=4 |pages=2094–2108 |issue=4 |doi=10.3390/ijgi4042094|bibcode=2015IJGI....4.2094S |doi-access=free }}
*{{cite journal |author=Singh, N.J. |author2=Amgalanbaatar, S. |author3=Reading, R.P.  |date=2011 |title= Grouping Patterns of Argali in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia |journal=Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences |volume=8 |pages=7–13}}
*{{cite journal|author=Singh, N.J.|author2=Yoccoz, N.G.|author3=Cote, S.D.|author4=Lecomte, N.|author5=Fox, J.L.  |date=2010 |title=Scale and selection of habitat and resources: Tibetan argali in High altitude rangelands |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |volume=88 |pages=436–447 |url=http://rparticle.web-p.cisti.nrc.ca/rparticle/AbstractTemplateServlet?calyLang=eng&journal=cjz&volume=88&year=2010&issue=5&msno=z10-015 |doi=10.1139/Z10-015 |issue=5 |url-access=subscription }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{cite journal |author=Singh, N.J. |author2=Bonenfant, C. |author3=Yoccoz, N.G. |author4=Cote, S.D.  |date=2010 |title=Sexual segregation in Eurasian wild sheep |journal= Behavioral Ecology |volume=21 |pages=410–418 |issue=2 |doi=10.1093/beheco/arp205 |doi-access= }}
*{{cite journal |author=Singh, N.J. |author2=Yoccoz, N.G. |author3=Bhatnagar, Y.V. |author4=Fox, J.L.  |date=2009 |title= Using habitat suitability models to sample rare species in high-altitude ecosystems: A case study with Tibetan argali |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |volume=18 |pages=2893–2908 |doi=10.1007/s10531-009-9615-5 |issue=11|bibcode=2009BiCon..18.2893S |s2cid=25619445 }}
*{{cite journal |author=Namgail, T. |author2=Fox, J.L. |author3=Bhatnagar, Y.V. |date=2009 |title=Status and distribution of the Near Threatened Tibetan argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni in Ladakh, India: effect of a hunting ban. |journal= Oryx |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=288–291 |doi=10.1017/S0030605308000264 |doi-access=free }}
*{{cite journal |author=Singh, N.J. |title=Animal Habitat relationships in high altitude rangelands. PhD Thesis |journal=University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway |url=http://munin.uit.no/handle/10037/2574 |access-date=2012-08-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229215735/http://munin.uit.no/handle/10037/2574 |archive-date=2014-12-29 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1007/s11284-006-0015-y |author=Namgail, T. |author2=Fox, J.L. |author3=Bhatnagar, Y.V. |name-list-style=amp |title=Habitat shift and time budget of the Tibetan argali: the influence of livestock grazing |journal=Ecological Research |volume=22 |pages=25–31 |year=2007 |issue=1 |bibcode=2007EcoR...22...25N |s2cid=12451184 |url=http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/69531/NamgailetalHabitatShift.pdf }}
*{{cite journal |author=Namgail, T. |date=2001 |title=Habitat Selection and Ecological Separation Between Sympatric Tibetan Argali and Blue Sheep in Northern India. PhD Thesis |journal=University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway}}
*{{cite journal |author=Namgail, T. |title=Vigilance behaviour of the Tibetan argali ''Ovis ammon hodgsoni'' in the Indian Trans-Himalaya |journal=Acta Zoologica Sinica |volume=53 |pages=195–200 |year=2007 |url=http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/69526/NamgailArgalivigilance.pdf }}
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1017/S0952836903004394 |author=Namgail, T. |author2=Fox, J.L. |author3=Bhatnagar, Y.V. |name-list-style=amp |title=Habitat segregation between sympatric Tibetan argali ''Ovis ammon hodgsoni'' and blue sheep ''Pseudois nayaur'' in the Indian Trans-Himalaya |journal=Journal of Zoology (London) |volume=262 |pages=57–63 |year=2004 |url=http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/69530/NamgailetalJZool.pdf }}
*{{cite journal|author=Namgail, T. |title=Gya-Miru: last refuge of the Tibetan argali |journal=Sanctuary Asia |volume=23 |pages=16–21 |year=2003 |url=http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/sanctmagazine/archivedetail.php?id=628 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825142101/http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/sanctmagazine/archivedetail.php?id=628 |archive-date=2007-08-25 }}
*Namgail, T., Fox, J.L. & Bhatnagar, Y.V. (2003). [https://web.archive.org/web/20081223033701/http://www.snowleopard.org/programs/science/grantsreports/2003IndiaLivestockFinalReport Interactions between Argali and livestock in the Proposed Gya-Miru Wildlife Sanctuary.]
*[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Ovis_ammon.html University of Michigan Museum of Zoology]

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Argali}}
{{Commons category|Ovis ammon}}

* Illustrations of [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/92513#page/619/mode/1up "Aegoceros Ammon"] and [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/92513#page/623/mode/1up "Aegoceros Argali"] in ''Zoographia russo-asiatica'' (1811) by [[Peter Simon Pallas]].

{{Artiodactyla|R.3}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q186267}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ovis]]
[[Category:Mammals of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1758]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Mammals of Central Asia]]