Ovis darwini Przewalski 1883
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 darwini

description: 203.
Gobi Argali
Ovis darwini
French: Mouflon de Mongolie / German: Gobi-Wildschaf / Spanish: Argali del Gobi
Taxonomy. Ouvis darwini Przewalski, 1883,
S Gobi, Mongolia.
Although the Gobi Argali is usually classified as a subspecies of the Altai Argali (O. ammon), a thorough systematics study is needed to resolve the genetic relationships between Altai and Gobi Argali in order to clarify their taxonomic status. However, based on mtDNA control region and nuclear microsatellite analyses, there are two major wild sheep groups in Mongolia, the Altai Argali from the Altai and the Gobi Argali from the Hangay (west-central Mongolia) and Gobi Desert. Distributional boundaries of these two forms are unclear. Monotypic.
Distribution. S Mongolia and N China.
Descriptive notes. Measurements and weight of a 6-5year-old male ram were as follows: head-body 134-5 cm, tail 18 cm, horn length 113 cm, horn basal girth 44 cm, and weight 146 kg. Those of a 67year-old male were shoulder height 105 cm, weight 96 kg, horn length 87-5 cm, and horn basal girth 37-5 cm. Published weights of three rams eight to eleven years old are 116 kg, 143 kg, and 148 kg. Two color phases of males in winter pelage occur: a dark, chocolate brown form with gray-brown muzzle and face, and a paler form with dark-brown pelage and large whitish areas behind the shoulders and on the withers and back. The dark form also has whitish patches on the shoulders, withers, and back, with smaller white areas on the neck.
Habitat. Gobi Argali occupy desert, semi-desert and steppe habitats, usually in gently sloping to undulating landscapes,hilly regions, and canyon lands adjacent to montane areas at elevations of 2000-2800 m. They also live in desert lowlands at 1000-1300 m, in mountains, and in areas interspersed with rocky, dry gullies and rock outcrops.
Food and Feeding. Gobi Argali can be primarily browsers in summer, but their forage preferences probably vary depending on seasonal and site-specific forage availability. Based on mean percentrelative density of plant fragments in fecal samples collected in summer, Gobi Argali diets consisted of 62:5% shrubs, 21-2% forbs, and 16-2% grasses.
Breeding. Mating occurs in late October-December and lambing occurs 155-165 days later in late March—May, with a birth peak in April. Ewes give birth in isolation and lambs remain hidden for several days. Twinning is rare; only one in 74 ewes gave birth to twins. Lambing can shift to later in the season because of changing rainfall patterns; later lambing dates are correlated with higher rainfall during the previous summer. The highest lamb mortality occurs during the first month oflife, but is highly variable. Lamb survival can vary from 19% for lambs greater than one month old to 75% mortality during the first month oflife. The mortality rate decreases after the first year: 36-5% survived longer than three months and 22% survived longer than one year. Precipitation in April of the previous year was the only factor that affected lamb survival. Drought years are correlated with high lamb mortality; in one study of marked lambs during a two-year drought, 81% and 71-4% of lambs died during each respective year. Predation was the mostsignificant mortality factor, accounting for 44-6% of lamb mortalities. Of those mortalities, 13% were due to Pallas’s Cats (Otocolobus manul), 20% was due to Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) and dogs, 8% to Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), 12% to unknown felids, 4% to raptors, and 36% to unidentified predators. The second highest mortality (21-4%) was starvation, which is especially high during drought years. Other mortality factors included disease and accidents (each 3-6%).
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but in most argali there are two peaks of activity, mornings and evenings.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Based on telemetry data of nine lambs, one adult male, and four adult females, mean home range was 57 km? + 3-7 km? using the 100% minimum convex polygon method. Mean home ranges per season were 25-81 km? + 4-86 km?® in spring, 29-42 km?+ 1-57 km? in summer, 38-73 km* + 6-73 km?® in autumn, and 36-29 km? + 7 km? in winter. Seasonal home ranges were not significantly different, and ranges overlapped. Domestic sheep guard dogs appeared to be an important mortality factor in the study area. Population density in a stable Gobi Argali population over a five-year period was 0-1 ind/km?*Other Gobi Argali population densities were 0-02-2-1 ind/km?; densities vary regionally depending on seasonal forage production and rangeland conditions, human disturbance, and domestic animal densities.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II (under O. ammon). Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List (under O. ammon). There are an estimated 20,000 argali in Mongolia, of which about 14,000 (70%) are Gobi Argali. Status of populations in China are unknown. The threats to the Gobi Argali are illegal hunting and competition for forage with domestic livestock. Human disturbance and guard dogs associated with domestic grazing are additional factors in displacing Gobi Argali from rangelands. Domestic sheep guard dogs are important predators, perhaps causing greater mortalities than Gray Wolves in some areas. During drought periods,livestock can displace argali from preferred rangelands at higher elevations, where forage production is greater, and from springs because of their intensified use by domestic animals. There is a need to implement rangeland management strategies to minimize competition between wild sheep and domestic animals. Strict enforcement of game laws is imperative. Creation of community-based conservation hunting programs that economically benefit the rural populace should be established to encourage incentivedriven wildlife conservation.
Bibliography. Allen (1940), Amgalanbaatar et al. (2002), Bunch et al. (2000), Feng Jiu et al. (2009), Frisina, Onon & Frisina (2007), Frisina, Purevsuren & Frisina (2010), Frisina, Valdez, & Ulziimaa (2004), Geist (1991a), Groves & Grubb (2011), Grubb (2005), Harris & Reading (2008), Heptneret al. (1998), Kapitanova et al. (2004), Mallon et al. (1997), Mitchell & Frisina (2007), Reading, Amgalanbaatar, Mix & Lhagvasuren (1997), Reading, Amgalanbaatar, Wingard et al. (2005), Reading, Kenney et al. (2009), Retzer et al. (2006), Schaller (1998), Tserenbataa et al. (2004), Valdez (1982), Valdez et al. (1995), Wang Sung 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 pages 692-693, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6512484