Ovis ammon Linnaeus 1758
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Bovidae
Ovis
Ovis ammon

description: 202.
Altai Argali
Ovis ammon
French: Mouflon argali / German: Altai-Wildschaf / Spanish: Argali del Altai
Other common names: Siberian Argali
Taxonomy. Capra ammon Linnaeus, 1758,
Altai Mountains.
The taxonomic status of argali in Mongolia remains unresolved. Based on genetic variation at the mitochondrial NDb5 locus, there was not sufficient genetic differentiation among populations in Mongolia to justify separating Altai and Gobi Argali (O. darwini) into separate evolutionarily significant units. However, based on mtD-NA control region and nuclear microsatellite analyses, there are two wild sheep groups in Mongolia, the Altai Argali from the Altai and the Gobi Argali from the Hangay (west-central Mongolia) and Gobi Desert. Monotypic.
Distribution. E Russia, E Kazakhstan, W Mongolia, and NW China.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 172-180 cm (males) and 167-174 cm (females), tail 10-12 cm (males) and 9.5-12 cm (females), shoulder height 115-120 cm (males) and 100-114 cm (females), ear 12-14 cm (males) and 10-12 cm (females); weight 101-175 kg (males) and 80-100 kg (females). Weight of a nine-year-old from the Altai was 142 kg and that of a fourteen-year-old was 171 kg. Horn length 40-56 cm (females), horn girth at base 34-50. 5 cm (males) and 16-19 cm (females), horn mass 18-522 kg (males). This is the largest wild sheep. Horns and skull without the lower jaw can weigh 34 kg; horns can attain lengths of 182 cm with basal circumferences of 56 cm. The horns are shorter than those of the Marco Polo Argali (O. polii) but are more massive. Altai Argali females have the longest horns among all argali. Females are 60% to 70% the size of rams. In the winter coat, males are pale to dark brown tinged with white hairs. Large saddle-like white spots are present on the back. White underparts and rump patch are usually separated by dark stripes on sides and back. Old males may have almost the same coloration in summer. Females are usually brown or grayish-brown in summer and gray or dark-gray in winter. In the Altai, molt starts at the end of May, and adult males may molt until the end ofJune. Lactating females complete molting by the end ofJuly.
Habitat. Altai Argali inhabit undulating terrain with adjoining rough,steep, rocky outcrops and scree that they can use as escape terrain. However, they usually elude predators in open terrain rather than seeking higher, precipitous montane terrain. They occupy higher mountains with greater forage production, which could accountfor their greater size. Altai Argali steppe habitats are arid, with minimal winter precipitation and mean yearly temperatures well below 0°C; vegetation consists mainly of sedges, grasses, and forbs. Argali avoid more humid habitats and tall vegetation. Females tend to give birth and stay with newborns in open undulating valleys in upper portions of watersheds, where creeks provide water sources. Small lakes provide water sources in some areas. In winter, animals use the same habitat, but tundra as well. In Sailyugem (Russian Altai), argali usually occupy a narrow elevation range of 2300-2800 m above sea level. Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) are the main natural predators of Altai Argali, but when livestock is available as an alternate food source, wolf predation on argali populations is not significant. Wolf accounted for 18% of argali mortality in the 1970s in one area, and 7-8year-old rams comprised the majority of those killed. Poaching and deaths due to winter starvation are the greatest mortality factors. Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)related mortalities are rare, and there is an account of a successful Wolverine (Gulo gulo) predation. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) often attack lambs, but successful kills have not been observed.
Food and Feeding. First grazing attempts of newborn lambs occur 12-16 days after birth. Grasses, sedges, and some forbs (Artemisia, Astragalus, Oxytropis) dominate the diet throughout the year. In some areas, Altai Argali browse on willows in winter.
Breeding. Mating mainly occurs in November through mid-December. Lambs are born in the end of April and beginning of May after a gestation period of 155-165 days. Only single offspring have been recorded. Lambs weigh 3-5—4-5 kg at birth. Females are sexually mature at 2-5 years. In Russian Altai, ratios in May and June of different years were 50-67 lambs:100 ewes. In 1985, 12:5% of the females had lost their newborns. Only 46% of lambs survived the first winter. In a reserve in the Altai Mountains, lamb—ewe ratios were 68-5: 100 in summer and 16: 100 in winter, indicating a high winter mortality.
Activity patterns. In summer, there are two peaks of activity, mornings and evenings. However,living in cold habitats, argali are active in broad daylight even in summer, alternating feeding and rest periods. In comparison with Marco Polo and Tianshan Argali (O. karelini), these periods are longer in Altai Argali. In winter, animals are active throughout the day, with a period of rest at midday.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. In the Sailyugem Mountains (Russian Altai), most females with young spend summer on the northern Russian slope, and at the end of October and early November, they migrate to the southern Mongolian slope. They return to the northern slope in the end of April and early May. Adult males remain in Russia. Herds of females with lambs and yearlings of both sexes consist of up to 27 individuals. Female groups as large as 92 have been observed. Male groupsstart disintegrating in mid-October, when males join mixed herds prior to the mating season.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Major threats to the Altai Argali are competition with livestock, resulting in displacement into marginal habitats, exposure to diseases that can be transmitted by domestic livestock, and illegal hunting for meat and horns. In Russia, Altai Argali hunting has been banned since 1934, but poaching has persisted. The distribution and numbers occur in Mongolian Altai, with an estimated 8000-9000 animals. About 500-900 argali inhabit north-central Mongolia near Tuva (Russia). Population numbers in Khangai are unknown. In the Chinese Mongolian Altai, no more than several hundred animals occurred in mid-1990s. In the southern Altai of Kazakhstan, no more than 100 argali survive. About 600 animals spend summers in Russian Altai and Tuva, but their winter numbers are significantly lower. In many areas of the Altai, they have undergone population declines and fragmentation.
Bibliography. Amgalanbaatar & Reading (1999), Baskin & Danell (2003), Dzieciolowski et al. (1980), Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1966), Fedosenko (1989, 2000), Fedosenko & Blank (2005), Feng Jiu et al. (2009), Filus (1992), Frisina, Onon & Frisina (2007), Frisina, Purevsuren, & Frisina (2010), Geist (1991a), Groves & Grubb (2011), Grubb (2005), Harris & Reading (2008), Heptner et al. (1988), Kapitanova et al. (2004), Mallon et al. (1997), Maroney & Paltsyn (2003), Mitchell & Frisina (2007), Schaller (1977, 1998), Sopin (1975, 1976, 1977), Tserenbatta et al. (2004), Valdez (1982), Wang Sung et al. (1997), Weinberg et al (1997).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Bovidae, pp. 444-779 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 692, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6512484