Snow sheep is one of the most beautiful representatives of artiodactyls that live in the highlands of Siberia, Sakhalin and Kamchatka. A unique animal with amazing twisting horns on its head is considered a real masterpiece of nature. What are the features of the life of a bighorn sheep, and what role does it play in human economic activity - further in the article.

Origin of the species

Bighorn sheep, bighorn, or chubuk - a representative of artiodactyl ruminants of the bovine family, the main habitat of which are considered to be the regions of North Asia, bounded by the mountains of the Urals in the western part and the Baikal ridge in the south. The first paleontological finds of bogs date back to the preglacial period, more than 750 thousand years ago.

Living in North Asia, animals gradually increased their geography and migrated to North America, where today two of their closest relatives meet - Dall's ram and snow ram. The largest representative of the plateaus lived during the Pleistocene in what is now Yakutia.

Important! The geographical fragmentation of animals of this species contributed to the formation of a large number of their subspecies. And, despite the differences in physiology and exterior, between the subspecies, the formation of hybrid forms is possible, which increases the chances of restoring the sheep population.

According to archaeological research, the base of its horns was about 11 cm in diameter, 12 cm wide at the back of the head, and 19 cm between the eyes. Such data may indicate that it was this subspecies of the prehistoric snow sheep that was the progenitor of modern animals, because in its dimensions and physical structure it is closest to modern barnacles.

Characteristic, external description

The ram is easy to distinguish from other members of the sheep genus by its massive, powerful and large physique. Due to the fact that the main habitat of artiodactyls is mountainous regions, in their physique they are closer to mountain goats than to members of their family.

Snow sheep is characterized by a small size, a very strong body, an elongated lower back, a shortened cervical spine, a small head with neat ears, thick, short, powerful limbs. The male body length varies between 150-190 cm, height at the withers - about 120 cm, while the weight is 150-160 kg. Females have smaller dimensions: body length - 120–170 cm, height at the withers - 90–110 cm, weight - up to 80 kg. The largest modern bogs are Chukchi and Kamchatka.

A distinctive feature and the main advantage of thick-horned animals, both males and females, are massive, weighty and powerful horns located on the head. Their length reaches about 110 cm. Horns are of particular trophy hunting value for humans, which is why the animal population has suffered so much from the destructive actions of hunters.

In the summer season, the artiodactyl body is covered with a small layer of wool. In the fall, the outer hairline continues to grow, and at the same time the undercoat begins to increase. By the winter season, downy hair and other roots acquire a white color.

Did you know? The bighorn sheep is one of the few creatures in which the pupils have the shape of a rectangle. A similar structure of the organs of vision is inherent in their relatives - sheep, as well as mongooses and octopuses.

Puberty in snow sheep occurs by two years. The birth of offspring, as a rule, occurs in the summer season. Newborn bighorn horn quickly and actively develop, easily adapting to new living conditions. Having reached the age of one month, most lambs refuse mother's milk and completely switch to an adult diet. Female fertility is not too high: one lamb per pregnancy.

Habitat and habitat

As noted above, the largest territorial distribution of sheep is noted in the highlands of Yakutia, the Magadan region, Sakhalin, and Kamchatka. The most reliable habitat for artiodactyls are places inaccessible to humans and other animals. In winter, bighorn sheep migrate in an area where there is no large snow cover - otherwise they have nowhere to get food.

Today, Putorana sheep are in the greatest danger, as they have the smallest habitat - the Putorana plateau in the central part. Animals can be found off the coast of Norilsk Lakes, in the basins of the Holokita, Delochi, Duluk.

Important! The area of ​​population of the plate horn is limited by height above sea level. Usually they prefer mountain regions at a height of at least 300 m above the sea.

Modern strength, movement

The sheep settlement area in Russia covers the area from the Putorana plateau to Chukotka, and is limited on the south by the 48th parallel. With a seemingly wide distribution area, homogeneity of populations is not observed. This is due to the fact that animals form certain groups that are localized on the slopes of mountain ranges.

The total number of bighorn sheep has remained virtually unchanged over the past 30–50 years. The largest population in the Russian Federation boasts the Verkhoyansk mountain system, which lies in the northern part of Siberia.

In total, three populations of plate horn are distinguished:

• northern, which has up to 11 thousand livestock;
• central, with the number of individuals up to 11.5 thousand;
• southern, in which there are about 10.5–11.5 thousand animals.

On the one hand, human activities, in particular, the development of poaching, the shooting of animals by local residents and the insufficient control of state bodies for the protection of animals, contribute to a decrease in the number of sheep. But, at the same time, a critical decline in populations does not occur, due to a decrease in the share of reindeer husbandry and the migration of many rural residents to cities. A reduction in the number of geological exploration operations has also contributed to the restoration of the population over the past 20 years. Today, the number of bighorn sheep, taking into account all subspecies, is 100 thousand individuals.

Subspecies

The geographical fragmentation of northern sheep contributed to the formation of several subspecies of artiodactyls:

1. Putoransky. The largest representative of bighorn sheep, which, due to the high risk of extinction, is listed in the Red Book. The only habitat of artiodactyls is the Putoran Plateau. The animal differs in small, up to 1 m, growth, strong physique, short limbs. On the head are powerful, rolled up in the form of a snail horn.
2. Yakut. Hornbills live on the territory of the entire Momsky ridge, Verkhoyansk, Chersky ridge, on the southern side of Yakutia on the Stanovoi ridge. The Yakut subspecies of a ram has a body length of 150–170 cm, a height at the withers of 100–110 cm, and a weight of 80–100 kg. Females are slightly lighter and smaller. The described animals have the longest of all subspecies of the horn, the length of which reaches from 86 to 110 cm. At the same time, the girth at the base can be 39 cm. The Yakut sheep are distinguished by an unusual color: light muzzle with dark cheeks, grayish-brown or dark brown body . You can find almost completely white bighorn with very light, buffy fur.
3. Kodarsky. Kodar rams completely populate the Kodar Range, located in the Vitimo-Olekminsky Highlands. They have a denser physique, screwed horns, rather large expressive eyes that allow them to see over long distances. In the color of the animal there are no dark inclusions that are inherent in the Yakut and Okhotsk representatives. There are no spots or enlightenments of contrasting character on the sides of the Kodarskie rhinodes. The limbs are light colored.
4. Okhotsk. The bulk of the Okhotsk subspecies population is concentrated in the southwestern part of the Magadan region. Artiodactyls are distinguished by sufficiently powerful, massive horns, the length of which reaches 100–110 cm, the girth at the base is up to 36 cm. The color of the animals is quite even, closer to dark.
5. Kolymsky. Representatives of the Kolyma subspecies inhabit the Magadan region, starting from the Kolyma tract and confining to the right bank of the Kolyma river. According to scientists, today the population is up to 10 thousand heads. Animals are characterized by a massive downed body, medium-sized head, large, winding horns.
6. Chukchi. Representatives of the Chukchi subspecies are quite large. Males are characterized by a body length of 180–190 cm, a height at the withers of 102–106 cm, and a weight of 90 to 105 kg. The color of the rams is similar to the color of the Yakut subspecies: a light muzzle and a brown body. The Chukotka rhino is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Life cycle

Bighorn sheep are rather slow, calm animals with a peaceful disposition, which are characterized by increased activity in the daytime and passivity at night. Artiodactyls unite in groups of 4-6 individuals, lead a sedentary lifestyle. Throughout the entire life cycle, bighorn sheep rest and get food.

The most active period for sheep is the fall season, when they can form in herds of 20-30 animals and graze on pasture rich in forage. Before the onset of winter colds, the herd is divided into groups of 5-6 animals, This distribution allows you to move much faster and more efficiently through the mountains in search of food. Thick-horned forage is obtained from under the snow cover, tearing it with hooves. Winter is the most difficult period - many of them do not survive until spring, dying from exhaustion.

Despite its rather massive physique, rams easily move along mountain slopes, quickly maneuver, and are capable of jumping up to 2-3 m. Artiodactyls obtain food in the gorges of the mountains, off the coast of rivers, near mountain streams. Sometimes they can retreat to the plains, but at the slightest danger they quickly return to the heights.

Places for rest animals choose in the territories well viewed in different directions. With their hooves, they dig small recesses into which they lie down for the night. Snow sheep are characterized by territorial conservatism and are very strongly attached to the area, pastures. They experience the adversity of the weather in various shelters: caves, stone depressions, etc.

Behavior features

Snow sheep are distinguished by a peaceful, calm character, almost never show aggression. Animals are very silent, only occasionally can you hear quiet sounds from them, reminiscent of bleating. In addition, bighorn sheep possess excellent ingenuity, which is evidenced by the fact that they never lie on the crest of the ridge in such a way as to stand out against a bright sky, they always slightly lower.

You can also note their well-developed observation. Sheep can easily move along talus, while among the many unstable stones, one is chosen that can be safely relied on.

The herd leaders have a special sense of danger. Feeling anxiety, they do not calm down for a long time, leave the place of feeding and take away all the members of the group. At the slightest fear, the rams are grouped together in a tight pile and remain motionless until the leader determines the degree of threat. Seeing the enemy, the leader of the herd runs away, setting the direction and speed of the run, the rest of the group follows him.

Transitions from one place to another, as a rule, are headed by the dominant male (in bachelor groups) or the oldest female. The whole group at a slow pace moves in a chain, taking special care on steep slopes, near gorges, in places of rockfalls.

What do they eat

The physiological structure of the internal digestive organs of a snow sheep is the same as that of domesticated animals. That is why the main part of the diet of animals is plant food, in particular juicy greens, berries, plant branches.

More than 320 species of plants, including mushrooms and lichens, consume bighorn sheep as food. In spring and autumn, the basis of the diet is herbaceous plants, berries and mushrooms. In winter, the cloven-hoofed animals help to survive the dried grass, the roots of various crops, needles.

Dangers and Enemies

Among animals, the greatest danger to a snow ram is wolves and wolverinesthat move with agility in the highlands. Wolves usually prey on thick-horned animals in the winter, when they migrate in search of food. Wolverines can attack animals at any time of the year, while preferring young lambs and females.

In rare cases, rams become victims of attacks by foxes and lynxes, which attack only young animals. White-tailed eagles and golden eagles can also bring harm to artiodactyls. From danger, animals hide in caves, clefts.

Did you know? The length of the intestines of a ram is 30 times the length of the body of the animal. At the same time, structural features of the structure of the organ allow you to eat hard, solid food, spikelets, sedge, branches along with thorns.

Another enemy of the hornbills are hunters and poachers. Horns and delicious lamb meat are considered a rare hunting trophy, which they purposefully hunt. It should be noted that, despite the prohibition of the authorities, hunting for animals continues actively, which leads to a reduction in the population.

Breeding and offspring

Puberty in bighorn sheep varies by sex. Females reach reproductive age at 2 years, males are ready for mating at 4-5 years. Since males are significantly smaller, animals are combined into groups that consist of 3-4 males and 7-8 females. Before mating with a female, males arrange fights between themselves. Similar competitive competitions take place during the rutting season, which falls in the second half of autumn. As a rule, fights do not differ in cruelty or duration, everything ends after the first serious blow with horns.

The female has a gestation period of about 5 months. The female is ready for the birth of the baby in the first weeks of June, in some cases at the end of May. A few days before delivery, the female searches for a calm, quiet, remote place, reliably protected from the weather and predators. Sheep fertility is low, one lamb is born during one pregnancy. In rare cases, the female can give birth to two babies, but in most cases one, weaker lamb dies. The weight of the newborn is on average 3-4 kg.

The birth of babies occurs at a time when it is full of green juicy greens, herbs and berries. A month after the birth of the baby, they abandon mother's milk and switch to adult food. This allows the lambs to quickly gain weight, actively and rapidly develop. Before the onset of a cold pore, their weight reaches 25-30 kg.

Important! Considering the fact that the annual growth of young animals is small, while many young individuals die in the first winter, there is no strong population growth.

Species conservation work

To restore and increase the number of bighorn sheep is possible only if animals create a comfortable and safe habitat.Today, the main problem is not hunting a wild beast, but a person’s economic activity, such as conducting communications, building roads, erecting industrial facilities in the artiodactyl habitats. The problem is especially acute for animals living in lowlands.

That is why people face a number of environmental challenges:

• a clear definition and protection of the boundaries of the habitats of large-horned animals;
• restoration of free-living groups of artiodactyls;
• creation of special territories with special protection.

For the safety of populations, it is advisable to carry out their resettlement, for example, on the territory of the Kuril Islands, where at present the human presence is very limited.

Important! To preserve the number of populations, some subspecies of bighorn hills are listed in the Red Book, in particular, Putorana.

Specialists have developed a scheme for restoring the number of sheep:

• identification of donor regions from where cloven-hoofed animals will be "taken" for further resettlement;
• artificial resettlement of bighorn hills to new territories;
• measures for domestication of animals;
• accelerated increase in the number of individuals due to hybridization.

Snow ram in human economic activity

To date, the number of populations has decreased significantly. Today, according to scientists, there are about 100 thousand individuals. Animals are involved in several types of human activity.

Object of fishing

The commercial value of the sheep is currently low, since the number of populations is sharply reduced, and many of its species are listed in the Red Book and protected by law. However, several dozens of years ago, thick-horned animals were actively destroyed to obtain a valuable trophy - unique horns, high-quality skin and tasty meat. The skin is valued much higher than deer, and meat, although a little tough, is considered a healthy dietary product with a minimum fat content.

Attraction of tourism to the regions of distribution

One of the main methods for increasing the number of populations of bighorn sheep is to attract tourism to promising areas of animal distribution. The bighorn sheep, as an object for the aesthetic satisfaction of human needs, can be used for general display to people when organizing green tourism at specially designated viewing platforms, in the corresponding zones.

In addition, organized recreation of tourist groups and observation of snow sheep in specially prepared places of wildlife, close to the area of ​​artiodactyls, for example, along the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea are possible.

Hybridization with agricultural species

Quite often, in natural conditions, the female abortes after fertilization with the seminal fluid of the male, therefore, to continue the offspring, the females are crossed with domesticated or purely domestic relatives. However, due to various genetic mismatches, such events do not always give successful results. For example, the inhibitory factor is the difference in puberty and the gestational age of females: In wild animals, pregnancy lasts 140 days, in domestic animals - about 170 days.

In this case, hybrids are born weak, with genetic abnormalities. Hybridized young growth is quite difficult to adapt to environmental conditions, it constantly requires attention, care, and contact with humans. Amazing animal snow rams are notable for unique winding horns in the form of a snail. Unfortunately, due to human activity, many subspecies were on the verge of extinction. Local authorities are actively working to revive populations, increase their numbers and create artificial reserves for the safe habitation of bighorn hills.