the marco polo sheep ( ovis ammon polii ) is a subspecies of argali sheep , named after marco polo .

their habitat is the mountainous regions of central asia .

marco polo sheep are distinguishable mostly by their large size and spiraling horns .

their conservation status is " near threatened " and efforts have been made to protect their numbers and keep them from commercial hunting .

it has also been suggested that crossing them with domestic sheep could have agricultural benefits .

marco polo sheep

to get meat , they go out and hunt marco polo sheep .
marco polo sheep dot a snow - covered mountainside in afghanistan . george schaller hide caption
an afghan hunter poses with a stack of marco polo sheep skulls . george schaller hide caption
horns of marco polo sheep can reach 6 . 2 feet in length and 60 pounds of weight .
table of contents . preface chapter 1 . the return of the wanderers chapter 2 . marco polo ' s youth chapter 3 . marco polo sets forth chapter 4 . marco polo ' s travels in persia and turkistan chapter 5 . marco polo reaches cathay chapter 6 . the imperial hunting grounds chapter 7 . the court of the great khan chapter 8 . marco polo among the tartars chapter 9 . marco polo ' s travels in cathay chapter 10 . marco polo ' s return chapter 11 . marco polo in the eastern seas chapter 12 . marco polo among the hindoos chapter 13 . marco polo in africa chapter 14 . homeward bound chapter 15 . a srange welcome chapter 16 . marco polo goes to the wars chapter 17 . marco polo a prisoner chapter 18 . last days of marco polo
marco polo sheep is a subspecies of argali sheep that belongs to the bovid family . it can be found in afghanistan , pakistan , china and tajikistan . marco polo sheep inhabits mountains , steep valleys , gentle slopes and highland pastures on the altitude from 12 . 100 to 15 . 700 feet . marco polo sheep is named after famous explorer from the 13th century who described meat and horns of these sheep in his book . number of marco polo sheep in the wild is decreasing due to commercial hunt . marco polo sheep is listed as near threatened , which means that it can become endangered in the near future .
what is undeniable is the cultural change in the hunting of marco polo sheep over the past 30 years .
male marco polo sheep have the longest horns of any sheepthe world record is 190 centimeters ( 6 . 2 feet ) making them highly seductive to hunters .
status of marco polo sheep ovis ammon polii in china and adjacent countries : conservation of a vulne . . .
marco polo sheep migrate from mountains toward the pastures ( on the lower altitudes ) at the beginning of the winter .
: wcs research informed the establishment of the wakhan national park ( enclosing all of the distribution range of marco polo sheep in afghanistan ) , the heartland of afghanistan’s marco polo sheep population . wcs played an integral role in the park’s creation and ongoing management .
wildlife life conservation activists with the horn of a marco polo sheep that found dead in khunjerav valley . photo : ali sher roomi
) , and is considered the longest - horned species of wild sheep . named after the explorer marco polo and first described scientifically in 1841 by edward blyth , marco polo argali occurs in the tajikistan pamir mountains [
in total , schaller counted 624 marco polo sheep in 3 , 300 square miles ( 8 , 550 square kilometers ) of the pamirs .
in 2003 he was able to join several local biologists on a marco polo sheep survey in tajikistan . they found that the sheep population there might have shrunk to as few as 10 , 000 animals .
: wcs has conducted extensive public outreach programs within communities across the wakhan , teaching about the economic and societal benefits of conserving marco polo sheep .
bear the scientific name ovis ammon polii and are among the 9 argali subspecies . they are also known as pamir argali or marco polo’s argali . but why the name marco polo sheep ? they were first described by marco polo in his book the travels of marco polo and since then have been named after him . scientifically , they were first described by a zoologist by the name edward blyth in 1841 .
marco polo sheep can reach 6 feet in length and 278 pounds of weight . tail is usually 4 . 7 to 6 . 3 inches long .
local officials in badakhshan claim that most illegal hunting and smuggling of marco polo sheep is organised by pakistani dealers based in the border province of chitral .
marco polo sheep are herbivores ( plant eaters ) . they consume fresh plants during the spring and summer and dig roots from the ground during the winter .
status of marco polo sheep ovis ammon polii in china and adjacent countries : conservation of a vulnerable subspecies - schaller g . b . , kang a .
while netflix gets ready to launch its original series , ' marco polo , ' we thought we ' d explore the real marco polo and decipher the man from the many myths .
our marco polo sheep hunts have been described in numerous outdoor magazines and hunting publications in america and in europe , and several of our marco polo sheep hunts have been televised . several famous outdoor writers and television personalities have hunted with us ( including jim shockey and craig boddington ) and we have hundreds of references .
the severe toll that hunting has taken on the marco polo sheep again became clear when schaller finally got to visit afghanistan ' s wakhan corridor in late 2004 .
a man sits near the skull of a marco polo sheep in western tibet . the species is a prized trophy for hunters . galen rowell / corbis hide caption
mosaic representing marco polo at villa hanbury , ventimiglia , italy . ( photo : wikimedia commons )
the park would help protect not only the marco polo sheep but the many other animals that wander across international borderssiberian ibex , snow leopard , wolves , and bears .
prized by game hunters for its spiral horns , the argali sheep is nevertheless threatened more seriously by the competition of domestic sheep for food .
we are proud of our continuing success rate on marco polo sheep hunts of 100 % ( well over 400 hunters ) , which is the best record in the hunting industry . our hunters have taken more sheep over 60″ than those of any other hunting company . several of the largest trophies of the marco polo sheep ( over 65″ ) have been taken in our hunting areas in tajikistan and we usually manage to take several sheep over 60 inches each season . we built the famous hot springs camp and we have exclusive use of it for our hunters from mid - october until mid - december ( the best period for marco polo sheep hunting ) .
the flagship species of the pamir mountain range , marco polo sheep traverse the remote and precipitous areas of big pamir , little pamir and the wakhjir valley of northeast afghanistan .
schaller , g . b . 2003 . the conservation status of marco polo sheep in tajikistan . wildlife conservation society and national geographic society . , new york , usa .
interviews : saving the marco polo sheep some have called george schaller the globe ' s greatest living naturalist . he ' s been tracking and studying the marco polo sheep for some 20 years in a quest to create wildlife preserves in some of the world ' s most dangerous areas along the borders of afghanistan , china , tajikistan and pakistan .
arguably the most beautiful and prestigious of all the argali , or giant sheep of asia , is the marco polo argali ( ovis ammon polii ) . it is found in tajikistan , kyrgyzstan , pakistan , and china , but may only be hunted in the first two of these countries . the majestic flaring horns of the marco polo sheep can exceed 70 inches in length , making it the most impressive wild sheep trophy in the world .
hunting for one of the most desirable trophy for trophy hunters all over the world - marco polo argali .
newcomer lorenzo richelmy plays marco polo in netflix & apos ; s original series . ( photo : netflix )
the distribution range of the near threatened marco polo argali , or marco polo sheep , ovis ammon polii is restricted to the pamir mountains , spanning afghanistan , tajikistan , china and pakistan . until the early 1970s the marco polo argali was abundant in northern areas of pakistan , particularly in the khunjerab and misgar valleys around the pamir knot , bordering china , afghanistan and . . . [ show full abstract ]
schaller : no . the local communities , they don ' t benefit in any real way , which means they don ' t feel they gain anything from having the marco polo sheep .
according to current afghan law , marco polo sheep are national assets , and hunting and smuggling of sheep parts are prohibited under a decree issued by president hamid karzai , with penalties of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 100 , 000 afghanis .
petocz , r . g . 1973 . marco polo sheep ( ovis ammon poli ) of the afghan pamir : a report of biological investigations in 1972 - 1973 . fao , rome , italy .
“at that time a foreigner was paying 3 , 000 to 10 , 000 dollars for one shot . our most important duty was to safeguard and maintain the marco polo sheep and snow leopards . ”
the struggle for the conservation of wildlife including marco polo sheep in badakhshan gained ground after wcs resumed its activities in 2006 , and other organisations including the aga khan foundation began contributing to the effort .
the profits have also multiplied . abdul zahir claims to have sold a marco polo sheepskin for 5 , 000 afghanis .
marco polo sheep live in family groups composed of around 10 animals of one sex during the summer and spring . males and females gather in large groups ( 50 to 90 animals ) during the winter .
a three - month investigation by an iwpr reporter indicates that lack of oversight by government officials , along with poverty among local people , encourages illegal hunting of marco polo sheep without any fear of punishment .
the cast of marco polo includes lorenzo richelmy as marco polo ; benedict wong as kublai khan ; zhu zhu as kokachi , a mysterious woman who immediately catches marco & apos ; s eye ; and joan chen as empress chabi , kublai khan & apos ; s wife and adviser .
( top ) karchinae lake falls under the khunjerab national park . photo : sultan gohar / world wildlife nature fund - pakistan . ( top right ) the endangered marco polo sheep . photo : snowleopardconservancy . org
last year , a group of three individuals was caught with a marco polo sheep with an injured hoof . mohammad sadiq said the hunters confessed that the animal was to be sent to a zoo in islamabad .
figure 6 . occupancy of marco polo argali ( red dots ) in the study area , eastern pamir mountains , tajikistan .
marco polo traveling , from the book the travels of marco polo ( il milione ) , originally published during polos lifetime ( september 15 , 1254 - january 8 , 1324 ) , but frequently reprinted and translated . ( photo : wikimedia commons )
marco polo sheep are best known by their large horns that are characteristic for males . horns start to grow 15 to 20 days after birth . they are shaped like corkscrew , positioned nearly parallel to the ground .
the sheep , which were first reported by marco polo in 1273 , prefer open terrain . when faced with danger , they don ' t run to hide under cliffs but instead take off across the rolling hills .
to determine the status and distribution of the vulnerable marco polo sheep or argali ovis ammon polii surveys were made in the pamir mountains , where the hindu kush , karakoram , and kunlun ranges meet . in china a total of 851 marco polo sheep were observed within the taxkorgan nature reserve and 1 , 448 north of the reserve . no reliable population estimate is available for tajikistan but in five . . . [ show full abstract ]
the entire 10 - episode season of marco polo will become available to netflix members december 12th at 12 : 01 a . m . pt . but before you watch the series , check out the scoop on the real - life exploits of marco polo .
dr babar khan of the wwf said so far , reasonable progress has been made to protect the species like the himalayan ibex and blue sheep . the population of both species has increased but more needs to be done to achieve its original objective of sustaining a viable population of the marco polo sheep , khan added .
khan , m . i . and khan , n . u . h . unpublished . ambassador of peace on the roof of the world : a study report on marco polo sheep . wwf pakistan , gilgit , pakistan .
schaller , g . b . and kang , a . l . 2008 . status of marco polo sheep ovis ammon polii in china and adjacent countries : conservation of a vulnerable subspecies . oryx 42 : 100 - 106 .
the management plan , originally devised to protect and conserve local wildlife failed miserably . marco polo sheep continued to be hunted , decreasing the number of marcos from 800 to a few dozen during the period between 1975 and 1993 .
he and his chinese colleague aili kang began a marco polo sheep survey on the chinese side of the pamirs last fall . they counted 2 , 175 animals before they had to cut the census short because of heavy snow .
our marco polo sheep hunts take place in kyrgyzstan and tajikistan . we have arranged more marco polo sheep hunts during the last twenty years , than most of the other outfitters combined . we spend a great deal of time and energy making sure that our clients hunt in the best areas available with the most competent guides , whichever country they select . please note : we are the only american company that has its own full - time staff in tajikistan .
no . 5 : many of us have spent a summer & apos ; s afternoon in a swimming pool playing the tag game of marco polo , but did you know that the venetian merchant also has a species of sheep named after him ? in the travels of marco polo , he mentions observing the mountain sheep on the pamir plateau in badakhshan [ now northeastern afghanistan ] . of course , the sheep weren & apos ; t named after him in his lifetime . the first scientific mention of ovis ammon polii was in 1841 by zoologist edward blyth .
schaller : the two critical ones right now are tajikistan and afghanistan . we went with a photographer and writer , funded by the national geographic [ society ] , to make a survey of the afghan marco polo sheep . so we spent nearly two months — going by yak mostly , some by horse — up every valley , counting animals . and we saw about 625 total . so there is still a reasonable population which , if protected , will continue to exist . and tajikistan , now , they , of course , have the most marco polo sheep — they have the biggest area . but there has been very little control there . you can buy marco polo sheep meat in the restaurants in town .
our outfitter controls several exclusive hunting concession with a size of more than 600 , 000 combined acres and offer some of the very best habitat for marco polo and ibex . each hunting areas are approximately 350 miles from bishkek to the karakol region for ibex and to the naryn region for marco polo or marco polo / ibex combination hunts . a drive of 9 - 10 is typical to reach either location from bishkek .
embed this arkive thumbnail link (
portlet
) by copying and pasting the code below . < a href =
urltoken
title =
arkive video - marco polo argarli - overview
> < img src =
urltoken
alt =
arkive video - marco polo argarli - overview
title =
arkive video - marco polo argarli - overview
border =
0
/ > < / a >
feng , j . 2000 . molecular approaches for conservation of endangered giant argali sheep ( ovis ammon ) and dwarf blue sheep ( psuedois nayaur schaeferi ) in asia . thesis , university of new york .
no . 4 : while marco polo didn & apos ; t actually discover america , he was influential in christopher columbus & apos ; s decision to strike out for unknown territory . columbus is said to have been inspired by marco & apos ; s adventures , and took a copy of the travels of marco polo on his westward sail two centuries after marco & apos ; s journey to china .
the largest of all ibex , the mid - asian ibex , is found in abundant numbers in some of the same regions where we hunt marco polo sheep . many of our clients have chosen to hunt ibex following the successful sheep hunt , as no camp change is usually required . ibex hunting can be challenging , however very rewarding also . for those clients who have more time available , afghan urial sheep and other game can also be hunted in tajikistan .
, marco polo sheep , and himalayan ibex . it is thought that the highest density of these beautiful cats may reside here . over 2 , 000 siberian ibex , widely distributed and abundant in the park but absent from neighbouring china are also present here .
the marco polo sheep , named after the 13th century italian explorer who first described for the western world , is considered one of the fastest and smartest of game animals . its meat is delicious and its curved horns often grow to 140 or 160 centimetres .
single nucleotide polymorphisms of the adrb3 gene in six chinese sheep populations detected by pcr - s . . .
marco polo argali hunt special $ 16 , 995 plus $ 10 , 000 trophy fee if successful . ibex may be added to a marco polo hunt for $ 3 , 850 in advance . . trophy fees should be paid in cash after harvest and include all cites , licenses and permits for that animal .
wildlife surveys in the pamir mountains of pakistan , afghanistan , china , and tajikistan revealed that marco polo sheep ( ovis ammon polii ) roam back and forth across the frontiers of these countries . there has been a considerable decline of wildlife in recent years . the creation of an international peace park of about 50 , 000 km2 ( 19 , 305 miles2 ) would offer the four countries one option of cooperatively protecting and managing not only marco polo sheep and other species but also the rangelands upon which the livelihood of local peoples depend .
we saw fewer sheep in most areas , and in some places they had vanished ,
schaller said .
wildlife surveys in the pamir mountains of pakistan , afghanistan , china , and tajikistan revealed that marco polo sheep ( ovis ammon polii ) roam back and forth across the frontiers of these countries . there has been a considerable decline of wildlife in recent years . the creation of an international peace park of about 50 , 000 km 2 ( 19 , 305 miles 2 ) would offer the four countries one option of cooperatively protecting and managing not only marco polo sheep and other species but also the rangelands upon which the livelihood of local peoples depend .
on his deathbed , marco was encouraged to admit that the travels of marco polo was a work of fiction , but to his dying breath he declared ,
i did not tell half of what i saw .
in the himalaya , there are two species of sheep , one of which is the large argali . this species
is classified into several races , based on minor differences in horn shape and coat color ; only the marco polo sheep , a type of argali , is well - known . ( p . 4 , george schaller , stones of silence . new york , 1979 . )
has a management plan to protect the alpine flora in khunjerab national park that will on focus on community - based conservation with a strong element of raising environmental awareness . the aim is to control grazing , and increase the population of snow leopards , marco polo and blue sheep .
killing the species is now prohibited . for 18 years before the soviet invasion of 1979 , hunting of marco polo sheep was carefully regulated , with foreign hunters allowed only one shot at the animal , which stands almost a metre high and often weighs between 125 and 130 kilograms .
but schaller says the sheep are not yet endangered , and he believes the population can be sustained through proper management .
ghulam nabi sarfaraz , head of the environment department for the province , said his staff captured a pakistani citizen last year carrying a dead marco polo sheep near the border with chitral . he said the suspect was handed over to afghan border police and he has heard nothing about the incident since .
hunters can expect to see good numbers of game , with great trophy quality for those who are patient and selective . marco polo are plentiful in our private hunting territory with new exclusive access inside a former national park available starting in 2015 . historical success rates on mature animals are very high , very close to 95 % long term with 100 % success over the last two seasons the average trophy size for marco polo sheep in this area of 47 to 51 inches .
petocz , r . g . , habibi , k . , jamil , a . and wassey , a . 1978 . report on the afghan pamir . part 2 : biology of the marco polo sheep . undp / fao / dept . forests & range / min . of agriculture , kabul .
main predators of adult sheep are wolves , leopards and snow leopards , while foxes , golden eagle and lammergeyer prey on lambs .
paltsyn , m . 2001 . the current distribution of the argali mountain sheep . russian conservation news 25 : 17 - 19 .
has been categorized in several lists , such as the appendix ii of cites and the 2000 iucn red list , as vulnerable or threatened species . o . aknazarov , pamir biological institute director , said that the total number of marco polo sheep in the tajik pamirs may only be between 3000 to 5000 animals . valdez
hunting for one of the most desirable trophy for trophy hunters all over the world - marco polo argali . price is available in case of two hunters in the group only ! ! !
according to district chief feruz shah , wakhan has a population of 18 , 000 and is controlled by only a few individuals – mostly large landowners who have near - absolute influence over the hundreds of small settlements in the area . local hunters say the landowners have a hand in the continued hunting of marco polo sheep .
according to a survey conducted by the badakhshan provincial agriculture department , there were 4 , 000 marco polo sheep in 1971 . a survey completed in may 2011 by the american - based wild conservation society , wcs , using advanced camera traps placed at several locations in the wakhan valley , put the number at 1 , 500 .
no . 1 : marco polo was only 15 years old when he left venice on the great adventure that took him to the court of kublai khan . his father niccolò and his uncle maffeo polo had made the journey previously . marco barely knew his father , who had spent marco & apos ; s childhood as a traveling merchant when they left on their quest . but the death of marco & apos ; s mother convinced niccolò that marco should accompany him on the return trip , which lasted 24 years ( 1271 - 1295 ) . the polos weren & apos ; t the first wayfarers — marco & apos ; s word — to make it to asia , but marco is the one who became most famous for it .
. . . the population of marco polo sheep wasfound to have decreased quickly after recent kkh construction as compared with previous kkh construction . the main reason for the population decrease was found to be poaching by humans ( schaller , 2007 ) . the construction of the kkh dramatically facilitates access to the national park for visitors . . . .
marco polo argali hunting in tajikistan 2015 ! marco polo argali in tajikistan is a great challenge and a dream for any hunter at any place in the world . and now we are happy to announce that one more hunter made his dream reality . gustavo arredondo from the usa shot wonderful , amazing argali of 61 inch . for for more information or booking bukharan markhor hunt please visit our website urltoken
abdul sabir , one of the civil guards , said that every week they divide into eight - member groups and go out on patrols in areas known to be used for hunting and smuggling . “we are guarding [ like ] police and we don’t permit anyone to hunt marco polo sheep , ” he said . the civil guards are unarmed .
mohammad sadiq , who has been security chief in wakhan district for the last four years , said there are dangerous people behind the trade , a so - called “marco polo mafia” intent on making money .
khunjerab national park – adjacent to tashkurgan , china natural reserve – was first envisaged by zulfikar ali bhutto in 1975 to protect endangered species like marco polo sheep and their habitat . plans for the park were first drawn up in 1994 - 95 and the park boundaries included some of shimshal valley’s pastures , a move not welcome by the valley’s inhabitants .
abdullah , now 60 and living in the village of bokowi village , is one of six officials who were responsible for accompanying foreigners in those days . “each tourist and foreign hunter was permitted only one shot at a marco polo sheep during their visit . if they missed , they didn’t have permission to take a second shot , ” he recalls .
geist , v . 1997 . on the taxonomy of giant sheep ( ovis ammon ) . canadian journal of zoology 69 : 706 - 723 .
that is less than half of the sheep estimated to have been there when the area was last surveyed in 1973 by canadian biologist ronald petocz .
counting sheep in afghanistan’s badakhshan province may be difficult , but shooting them is easy enough when the weapon of choice is an ak - 47 .
the sheep , known locally as “nakhjipar” , are found in afghanistan’s northeastern badakhshan province , in the narrow wakhan valley corridor between tajikistan and pakistan .
. . . hkh is among wwf ' s 200 global priority eco - regions and classified as endemic bird area ( eba ) of urgent biological importance ( chettri , 2008 ) . snow leopard ( uncia uncia ) , brown bear ( ursus arctos ) , black bear ( ursus thibetanus ) , astore markhor ( capra falconeri falconeri ) , blue sheep ( pseudois nayaur ) , ladakh urial ( ovis vignei ) , marco polo ' s sheep ( ovis ammon polii ) , himalayan musk deer ( moschus chrysogaster ) , himalayan ibex ( capra ibex sibirica ) , woolly flying squirrel ( eupetaurus cinereus ) and eurasian otter ( lutra lutra ) are key mammals ( roberts , 1977 ; schaller , 2008 ; ablimit et al . , 2011 ; khan et al . , 2012 ) . snow leopard , brown bear , marco polo ' s sheep , blue sheep and musk deer are protected yet not fully secure of poaching in their habitats ( rasool , 1990 , khan , 1996 ) . . . .
we encourage hunters to book their marco polo sheep hunts as early as possible in order to secure a license for the year they want to hunt and the period most convenient for them . we operate in tajikistan and kyrgyzstan , the venue of the hunt makes no difference to us . we will be happy to arrange your hunt in either of these countries .
some have called george schaller the globe ' s greatest living naturalist . now a field biologist and vice president for the wildlife conservation society ' s science and exploration program , he ' s been working for some 20 years to create international , trans - border wildlife reserves to provide vital corridors for endangered and threatened animal species — particularly the marco polo sheep .
harris , r . b . and winnie jr . , j . 2008 . status update and progress report : marco polo argali in the afghan pamir . caprinae news 2008 ( 1 ) : 1 - 2 .
body of marco polo sheep is covered with woolly coat that is dark brown on the upper side and white on the underside . dark band on lateral side of the body separates these two types of wool . males have white neck ruff which becomes prominent during the winter ( at the beginning of the mating season ) . females are generally lighter in color than males .
although marco polo sheep hunting can be successfully pursued at any point in the season , late october to the end of november and during the winter months of january and february are the preferred time period . post rut hunting in january can be exceptionally good as the animals recover from the december mating season and is the recommended period for those with any physical mobility disadvantage .
gong , m . h . , dai , z . g . , zeng , z . g . , zhang , q . and song , y . l . 2007 . a preliminary survey of population size and habitats of marco polo sheep ( ovis ammon polii ) in taxkorgan nature reserve , xinjiang , china . acta theriologica sinica 27 : 317 - 324 .
george schaller : pamir means
wide open valleys
— rangelands , basically . and the main part of the pamir is high , rolling hills — 16 , 000 to 17 , 000 feet — with broad valleys . and it ' s the main home of the marco polo sheep , which was first described by marco polo in 1273 . it ' s a sheep with the longest horns , and the world record — over the curve , it ' s 75 inches . therefore it ' s been an almost mythical animal that trophy hunters and museum hunters wanted . a hunter may pay $ 20 , 000 to $ 25 , 000 to shoot one . and ideally , that money should go to conservation , and it should go to the local communities .
sheep can reach up to 6feet in length and 278lb in weight . unlike the horns , the tails are short going up to 6 . 3inches in length .
. . . taxkorgan in ( china ) and the adjacent khunjerab national park ( pakistan ) constitute one of the most important wildlife areas in the mountains of asia . important populations of large ungulates and carnivores , notably marco polo sheep and snow leopard ( schaller et al . , 1987 ) provide the foundation for an international protected area in the region ( schaller , 2007 ) . the two ecologically contiguous areas were known to have thousands of marco polo sheep and ibex till the mid - nineties ( roberts , 1999 ) and inhabited by kirgiz , tajik , and brosho folks carving out a living from pastoral animals husbandry , utilizing sub - alpine and alpine pastures in a complex pastoral herding system ( knudsen , 1999 ; ablimit et al . , 2011 ; ) . . . .
valdez , r . ; michel , s . ; subbotin , a . ; klich , d . status and population structure of a hunted population of marco polo argali ovis ammon polii ( cetartiodactyla , bovidae ) in southeastern tajikistan .
the wet meadow plant community consisted of majority 44 . 2 % of grasses / sedge and 43 . 87 % sheep droppings . the most diverse vegetative class in the dry meadow was forbs with 13 . 63 % cover observed and sheep droppings was recorded as 13 . 9 % . the wet and the dry meadows were about 27 . 34 m ( 0 . 017 mi ) apart . aside from the wet meadow , the dry upland also recorded a high percentage of sheep droppings at 43 . 87 % .
call today or fill out the form on the right and let us know what type of experience you’d like to have while marco polo sheep hunting in kyrgyzstan . we’ll send you information on opportunities that match your goals . our experienced outfitters are second to none and we’re happy to share personal experiences with you . if you would like more information on mid - asian ibex hunting in kyrgyzstan , click the active link .
with winding and long horns for distinction , marco polo sheep are among the most iconic wildlife nature has to offer . they have the longest horns any sheep species has in the word with the recorded piece having been around 2meters in length . they mainly inhabit china , tajikistan , afghanistan and pakistan where they live in steep valleys , mountains , gentle slopes and highland pastures at altitudes between 12 . 1 and 15 . 7 feet above sea level . since their discovery in 1273 by marco polo who they are named after , they have come to be appreciated and cherished by many for their unique looks and what they offer . they have especially sparkled interest from poachers who hunt them for their beautiful horns to use as trophies . they are now characterized as being near threatened species and are clearly on their way to being termed as endangered .
marco polo sheep are active during the day and herbivorous . in winter when the plant leaves are all covered up , they dig roots from the ground for their consumption . another survival tactic they employ during winter is the migratory movement from the mountains towards the pastures . another change is that males and female family groups combine during winter in large groups of 50 to 90 . during summer and spring , the sexes remain in separate groups each composed of 10members . their mating season is usually in december . this mating however is not for all as the males fight to get the opportunity to mate and only the dominant males get to mate with a harem of females . gestation period of marco polo sheep is about 160days and each female gives birth to one lamb . sexual maturity for females is reached at 2years for females and 5years for females .
. . . marco polo sheep now visits qarchanai valley for lambing ( jackson , 2000 ) from may till september , and that ' s how it was seen here during summer only . however , its numbers have recently increased on the chinese side probably due to better protection by chinese authorities ( schaller and kang , 2008 ) . the ungulate biomass recorded from the study area was lower ( 278 . 97 . . .
in this report , we described a small portion of our study area in the southeastern tajik pamirs that contained the two available datasets—one dataset listed the occupancy locations of wild sheep , and the second dataset detailed transect surveys that showed surface characteristics of possible sheep habitat . using remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems ( gis ) , descriptions of the sheep habitat were presented in gis layers . we generated individual layers to obtain information on argali patterns and habitat suitability and to make the dataset available online to the rest of the research community .
the bride appeared splendidly dressed , with a long gauzy veil that flowed to her feet , and every part of her dress sparkling with jewels . she looked beautiful and happy , and all the world envied marco polo his possession of the fair donata loredano .
wcs conservationist anthony simms says that for the last four years , his organisation has employed 40 local young people as “civil guards” , who act as game wardens to protect the sheep .
amgalanbaatar , s . , reading , r . p . and ganchimeg , j . 2000 . concerns about the effective management and conservation of argali sheep in mongolia . strategic planning for conservation of mongolian argali sheep ( ovis ammon ) , pp . 16 – 20 . mongolian ministry for nature and environment and world wide fund for nature – mongolia , ulaanbaatar , mongolia .
. . . the marco polo sheep species represents a new model to study high - altitude adaptation mechanisms adopted by mammals . due to the sheep
s impressively long horns , foreign hunters have for many years been willing to pay large amounts of money to take part in a hunt [ 5 ] and this is still the case today [ 2 ] . recent studies on the status of the argali population have shown a decline in numbers , caused mainly by over - hunting and subsistence poaching , as well as by competition with livestock and habitat loss [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] . . . .
mitchell , r . m . and frisina , m . r . 2007 . from the himalayas to the rockies : retracing the great arc of wild sheep . safari press , inc .
wildlife surveys in the pamir mountains of pakistan , afghanistan , china , and tajikistan revealed that marco polo sheep ( ovis ammon polii ) roam back and forth across the frontiers of these countries . there has been a considerable decline of wildlife in recent years . the creation of an international peace park of about 50 , 000 km 2 ( 19 , 305 miles 2 ) would offer the four countries one option of . . . [ show full abstract ]
shot in venice , kazakhstan and malaysia , marco polo begins with marco & apos ; s arrival at the court of kublai khan and follows the youth from his teen years to adulthood as he experiences a life only few could imagine : his escapades as he travels throughout asia , visiting countries no european had seen before , and learning new languages and different cultures along the way .
the argali are light tan to a gray - brown , with white hairs interspersed depending on the exact species and the age of the sheep . the face and belly of the sheep are much lighter than the rest of the body . adult males have enormous horns that can reach a length of 6 . 5 feet . females also have horns , but they rarely exceed 1 foot in length .
reading , r . p . , amgalanbaatar , s . and wingard , g . j . 2001 . argali sheep conservation and research activities in mongolia . open country 3 : 25 - 32 .
the khan looked at marco from head to foot , and advancing to him , smiled very pleasantly .
the fair donata seemed pleased with his attentions , and gradually learned to feel for the sturdy cavalier a warm affection . the course of their love ran smooth ; and when marco polo asked the consent of loredano to their betrothal , the noble councillor at once and joyfully accorded it .
marco polo argali hunting expeditions are scheduled to include ten full hunting days . the suggested itinerary may be lengthened or shortened upon request or due to any of the variables that hunters may encounter during their hunt . hunters need to expect two weeks in kyrgyzstan from arrival in bishkek to departure . it is also necessary to allow one to two days in bishkek at the end of a hunt for the preparation of trophies and paperwork . it is common for hunters to have ample opportunity to harvest a marco polo and an ibex over the course of a ten - day hunt .
the purpose of this study was to assess genetic diversity , genetic differentiation . relationship and population structure among 10 chinese sheep populations using 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms ( snps ) . in mc1r gene . the genetic diversity indices suggested that the intra - population variation levels of chinese merino and large - tailed han , breeds were lowest than kazakh fat - rumped . chinese sheep . . . [ show full abstract ]
east meets west when netflix brings the 13th century to life with an epic series featuring the travels and adventures of venetian explorer marco polo , who spent more than two decades in the service of kublai khan , one of the greatest rulers in history who reigned over mongolia for 34 years .
polo had accepted rusticiano ' s proposition , to dictate to him an account of his travels , with pleasure . it afforded a grateful relief from the monotony of prison life ; and , besides , marco well knew that the wonderful narrative would perpetuate his fame long after he himself was dead .
in pursuit of the massive animals , which can weigh more than 300 pounds ( 135 kilograms ) , schaller and his colleagues often observed only the flash of white rumps as the sheep raced out of sight .
schaller says he
personally would not care to shoot something just to have an ornament on the wall ,
but he believes trophy hunting can be a viable tool to help protect the sheep from extinction .
how my brother maffeo and my uncle marco would wonder to see all this splendor !
mused marco .
when i get home , and tell them about it , they will not believe me .
hunting marco polo sheep and ibex require rifles capable of shooting accurately up to and beyond 400 yards . crosswind and angle compensation are always variables while hunting here . we recommend flat - shooting rifles in the . 270 to . 300 caliber , but it is strongly recommended that hunters arrive with a weapon that they are intimately familiar with shooting . most shots will be between 200 and 400 yards ; however , more opportunities will present themselves to hunters who have the ability to extend their range beyond 400 yards .
ishunin , g . e . 1970 . kyzylkum or severtzov’s sheep ( in russian ) . ecology of vertebrates of the huratau range , pp . 140 - 160 . uzbekistan academy of science , tashkent , uzbekistan .
[ “the tao - sze , says marco polo , wear dresses of black and blue linen ; i . e . they wear dresses made of tatters of black and blue linen , as can be seen also at the present day . ” ( palladius , 30 . ) — h . c . ]
the sketch from the life , on p . 326 , of a wandering tibetan devotee , whom i met once at hardwár , may give an idea of the sordid bacsis spoken of by polo .
marco approached and made the usual humble obeisance to the monarch . kublai , raising himself on his elbow , motioned to marco to come nearer and stand by him ; for he said he had something to say to him .
amgalanbaatar , s . , reading , r . p . , lkhagvasuren , b . and batsukh , n . 2002 . argali sheep ( ovis ammon ) trophy hunting in mongolia . pirineos 157 : 129 - 150 .
nicolo and maffeo polo , as well as marco , aroused the hostility of many of the barons ; and so unpleasant did their position at the court begin to be , despite the fondness and favor of the monarch , that they often talked together anxiously about the prospect of their being able to return to venice .
no . 9 : not a lot is known about marco polo after his return to venice in 1295 . it is posited that he returned to the family merchant business , but it is known that he married and had three daughters : moretta , fantina , and bellela . he lived to be 70 years old .
the sheep can weigh from 150 pounds to 400 pounds . they are between 3 to 4 feet tall , with a body length of 4 to 6 ½ feet . the tail is generally less than 6 inches in length .
kang will finish the survey this spring . but there ' s no doubt that the sheep population in china has seen a healthy increase in the last two decades , schaller says , due to china ' s antipoaching efforts .
no . 2 : marco polo did not bring pasta back to venice from china . it is one of the most famous legends out there about the adventurer , but truth be told , pasta had made its way into the cuisine of italy prior to marco & apos ; s birth . he did , however , introduce the concept of paper money , which was used in mongolia in the 13th century , but not in europe .
[ “lamas were of various extraction ; at the time of the great assemblies , and of the khan’s festivities in shangtu , they erected an altar near the khan’s tent and prayed for fine weather ; the whistling of shells rose up to heaven . ” these are the words in which marco polo’s narrative is corroborated by an eye - witness who has celebrated the remarkable objects of shangtu ( loan king tsa yung ) . these lamas , in spite of the prohibition by the buddhist creed of bloody sacrifices , used to sacrifice sheep’s hearts to mahakala . it happened , as it seems , that the heart of an executed criminal was also considered an agreeable offering ; and as the offerings could be , after the ceremony , eaten by the sacrificing priests , marco polo had some reason to accuse the lamas of cannibalism . ( palladius , 28 . ) — h . c . ]
] , however , counted a total of 8649 , 8392 , and 7663 sheep in a four - year successive surveys from 2009 to 2012 . argalis usually inhabit the rolling hills that lack tall vegetation to visually scan for predators [
a much smaller area of 50 km 2 ( 4984 ha ) was isolated from the bigger study area to focus more on the landscape characteristics of the wet and dry meadows , which we think are the good habitats for sheep .
in interviews with iwpr , local hunters abdul sabir , abdullah and abdul zahir claim that large numbers of the sheep are hunted down on the orders of wakhan’s powerbrokers every year for meat , which is sometimes served at elaborate picnics .
no . 10 : there are those who believe that marco polo never took the journey down the silk road to china and in fact , made it no further than the black sea . they believe that the adventures described in his book were made up from stories he heard from others along the road he did travel . it doesn & apos ; t help his case that there were many exaggerations in the travels of marco polo , plus there were also interesting exclusions , such as the fact that he failed to mention the use of chopsticks for eating , or that he had seen the great wall . it also helps these naysayers that no mention of marco polo has been found in any historic chinese records . on the other hand , the majority of historians are prone to believe the marco did indeed make it to china and work in the service of kublai kahn , especially because of the preponderance of cultural information in the book . plus , there are those who have used his journal to retrace his footsteps , and they declare the geography to be so accurate , they believe the trip happened .
the road up to the pass rises steadily , though the last 4 - 5km are much steeper , through gorges and scenery that simply gets more and more spectacular – even more landslides , even narrower , even more glaciers . about half way to the top of the pass you enter the khunjerab national park which is principally a way of collecting fees , ie . income from foreigners . most people who travel through the park never see any wildlife , so we were lucky as we saw marco polo sheep ( very rare ) , ibex , yaks and marmots .
thus marco polo stood , on that bright april morning in 1271 , on the deck of the war - galley , and watched the glittering domes and spires of venice receding from view , while the vessel sailed down the adriatic sea , he little guessed how many years would elapse ere his eyes would greet the familiar home scenes again .
according to abdul zahir , in the old days hunters used british - made single - shot rifles to hunt the sheep . the soviet invasion brought the ak - 47 , which can fire dozens of bullets with one pull of a trigger .
not long after he had married and settled , marco polo was surprised and delighted to receive a visit from two persian travellers of high rank , who had come to venice on a commercial errand . they went to the court of the millions to see marco , of whose fame as a traveller they had heard , and to bear him a message of friendship from the fair young queen cocachin , who gratefully remembered marco ' s gallant attentions to her while journeying from cathay to persia , and who sent him a beautiful jewel in token of her gratitude . marco was grieved to learn , about a year afterwards , that this lovely young queen had died , mourned by all her new subjects and by her gallant husband .


it was described by grote in 1882 .

the length of the forewings is 13 – 16 mm for males and 15 – 17 mm for females .

the forewings are very light yellow with a nebulous , blackish mesial band .

the hindwings are white with a pruplish iridescence .

adults have been recorded on wing from may to august .

larvae have been recorded feeding on rhamnus frangula .

the create a web mixed with dead leaves and excrement .

pupation takes place in a yellowish cocoon , mixed with debris and leaves .

the species overwinters in the pupal stage .

cliniodes ostreonalis

species cliniodes ostreonalis - oystershell metrea moth - hodges # 4789 - bugguide . net
cliniodes euphrosinalis möschler , 1886 ; abh . senckenb . nat . ges . 14 ( 3 ) : 80 ; tl : jamaica
cliniodes ostreonalis , the oystershell metrea moth , is a moth in the crambidae family . it was described by grote in 1882 . it is found in north america , where it has been recorded from connecticut , indiana , kentucky , maine , maryland , michigan , new brunswick , new york , ohio , ontario , pennsylvania , quebec , vermont , west virginia and wisconsin .
photographs are the copyrighted property of each photographer listed . contact individual photographers for permission to use for any purpose .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
upcoming events 2018 bugguide gathering in virginia july 27 - 29 : registration and discussion photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in wisconsin , july 10 - 12 photos of insects and people from the 2014 gathering in virginia , june 4 - 7 . photos of insects and people from the 2013 gathering in arizona , july 25 - 28 photos of insects and people from the 2012 gathering in alabama photos of insects and people from the 2011 gathering in iowa photos from the 2010 workshop in grinnell , iowa photos from the 2009 gathering in washington
disclaimer : dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service . we strive to provide accurate information , but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world . if you need expert professional advice , contact your local extension office .
contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content . click the contributor ' s name for licensing and usage information . everything else copyright © 2003 - 2018 iowa state university , unless otherwise noted .
fyles , t . w . 1894 : botys urticaloides , n . s . . – the canadian entomologist , ottawa 26 : 184 .
grote , a . r . 1882 c : on certain pyralidae . – papilio , new york and philadelphia 2 : 73 .
the information below is based on images submitted and identified by contributors . range and date information may be incomplete , overinclusive , or just plain wrong .
hover over black occurrence boxes to see number of images submitted . log in to make states , months and boxes clickable .
one moth can look completely different depending on how it places its wings ! i noticed its colouring and the big yellowish eyes with black spots ( if they are eyes ? ) .
contributed by ilze v - g . on 19 august , 2011 - 1 : 40pm last updated 4 july , 2013 - 12 : 51pm
select your preferred way to display the comments and click ' save settings ' to activate your changes .
sudbury , ontario , canada july 4 , 2014 size : ws approx 3 . 2cm
attracted to the lights at night it was resting on the glass in the pathway of the wgmc at laurentian university .
contributed by ilze v - g . on 4 july , 2014 - 10 : 55am last updated 8 july , 2014 - 12 : 41pm
exarcha ineptalis lederer , 1863 ; wien . ent . monats . 7 ( 10 ) : 340 , ( 12 ) pl . 7 , f . 8 ; tl : venezuela
pyrausta glaucescens hampson , 1899 ; proc . zool . soc . london 1899 : 260 ; tl : ecuador
niphostola punctata swinhoe , 1904 ; trans . ent . soc . lond . 1904 ( 1 ) : 156 ; tl : santubong
basonga paradisalis möschler , 1886 ; abh . senckenb . nat . ges . 14 ( 3 ) : 79 ; tl : jamaica
this information is not automatically synchronized with globiz and can sometimes be lagging behind .
[ maps ] warning ! the maps are automatically generated from the textual information , and the process does not always produce acceptable result ; see about maps for more info .
histoire naturelle des insectes . species général des lépidoptéres . tome huitiéme . deltoides et pyralites
a revision of the moths of the subfamily pyraustinae and family pyralidae . part 1
a revision of the moths of the subfamily pyraustinae and family pyralidae . part 2
walker , 1859 list of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the british museum . supplement list spec . lepid . insects colln br . mus . 16 : 1 - 253 ( [ 1859 ] ) , 17 : 255 - 508 ( 1859 ) , 18 : 509 - 798 ( 1859 ) , 19 : 799 - 1036 ( 1859 )
if you have corrections , comments or information to add into these pages , just send mail to markku savela keep in mind that the taxonomic information is copied from various sources , and may include many inaccuracies . expert help is welcome .
to view a subset of photographs , use any combination of filters and search boxes . the search boxes can accept full or partial names . all filters are applied together .
click on a photograph to view full size , or click on a scientific name to go to a species profile .
- any - barbados belize bermuda bonaire canada cayman islands costa rica cuba dominican republic el salvador guatemala haiti honduras jamaica mexico nicaragua panama puerto rico st . kitts the bahamas united states


eutrichopidia latinus is a species of moth of the noctuidae family .

it is known from eastern australia , including queensland , new south wales , the australian capital territory , victoria , south australia and tasmania .

the moth is about 45 mm .

adults are black with a broad diagonal band across each forewing .

this band may vary from white to yellow to orange .

the hindwings have a white margin with black dots and the abdomen is tipped with a tuft of orange hairs .

the larvae feed on hibbertia obtusifolia and haloragis teucriodes .

eutrichopidia latinus

the adult moths of this species are black , with a broad diagonal band across each forewing . this band is varied in colour : anywhere from white through yellow to orange . the hindwings have a white margin containing black dots . the abdomen is tipped with a tuft of orange hairs , and the forelegs have orange hair tufts . the moths are inclined to rest head downward . the moths have a wingspan of about 4 . 5 cms .
melbourne university press , 1990 , pl . 22 . 28 , p . 464 .
if you have images for this taxon that you would like to share with atlas of living australia , please upload using the upload tools .
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : 7be5da87 - c9af - 4d9e - 850c - d392ec1e2bc1
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : b96346fa - 6c57 - 422b - bb53 - e875180d91bb
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : db89495e - d8b9 - 4ccd - 9f82 - 9d3dfeaa5589
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . name : 396252
explore species occurrence records in the context of their environment . find records and model species distributions . export reports , maps and data .
find out how you can contribute to a citizen science project in your area , or explore one of the many citizen science projects supported by the ala .
did you see something ? photograph something ? contribute your sighting to the atlas of living australia .
the atlas of living australia acknowledges australia ' s traditional owners and pays respect to the past and present elders of the nation ' s aboriginal and torres strait islander communities . we honour and celebrate the spiritual , cultural and customary connections of traditional owners to country and the biodiversity that forms part of that country .
confused by a class within a class or an order within an order ? please see our brief essay .
to cite this page : myers , p . , r . espinosa , c . s . parr , t . jones , g . s . hammond , and t . a . dewey . 2018 . the animal diversity web ( online ) . accessed at https : / / animaldiversity . org .
disclaimer : the animal diversity web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students . adw doesn ' t cover all species in the world , nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe . though we edit our accounts for accuracy , we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts . while adw staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable , we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control .
this material is based upon work supported by the national science foundation grants drl 0089283 , drl 0628151 , due 0633095 , drl 0918590 , and due 1122742 . additional support has come from the marisla foundation , um college of literature , science , and the arts , museum of zoology , and information and technology services .
all data on natureshare is licensed under a creative commons attribution 2 . 5 australia license .
free : natureshare is , and will always be , a free and open service .
warranty : natureshare services and all software are provided on an
as is
basis without warranties of any kind , either express or implied , including , without limitation , fitness for a particular purpose . your use of the services is at your sole risk . we do not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of information available from the service .
cathy powers your id is absolutely correct and the ala image connected with idalima is an incorrect id . good spotting . goes to show you need more than one source and natureshare is a very good one .
cathy powers yep , a moth . this group is covered in mov 8 which will be available before the end of 2017 .
powered by naturemapr | canberra nature map operates under creative commons attribution 3 . 0 australia | privacy
sorry for the photo quality , it wouldn ' t land and sit still .
citations are automatically generated and may require some modification to conform to exact standards .
this image belongs in a collection . go up a level to see more .
you may save or print this image for research and study . if you wish to use it for any other purpose , please visit using the pictures collection
copies direct supplies reproductions of collection material for a fee . this service is offered by the national library of australia
you may order a copy or use the online copy for research or study ; for other uses contact us .
copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate .
your browser either has no support for javascript , or has javascript turned off .
this application requires javascript to be enabled . please open your browser preferences and enable javascript , or use a browser with javascript capabilities .
trove eresources catalogue version 1 . 33 . 0 - release copyright terms of use privacy disclaimer api