The Altai sheep or Kochkor is the largest of the ten subspecies of mountain sheep. In Russia, in addition to Altai, it is also found in Tyva. In addition to the territory of Russia, the subspecies has been registered in Mongolia. In general, this habitat can be considered as a single whole within which animals make their seasonal migrations. The population is low and the animal is endangered. Hybrids of Altai ram with domestic sheep, which are bred in Mongolia, are economically valuable.
Description of the Altai ram
The Altai ram is a large, slender, proportionally built animal. Males are about 120 cm in height, females up to 115 cm, weight is about 200 and 100 kg, respectively. Both sexes have horns. In old males they are very impressive, up to 151 cm in length, 55 cm in diameter at the base, weight up to 22 kg. Females have smaller horns. Winter wool is colored from brown-brown to light gray-reddish. The belly and area around the tail are always lighter in color, ranging from whitish-yellow to almost white. Old males are darker than young and females. The summer color is bright, made in brownish-reddish tones.
The Red Book of Russia
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| Home Reports for schoolchildren Red Book of Russia There are three types of Red Books:
International Red BookThe International Red Book is a list of animals and plants that are on the verge of extinction and in need of help or have already disappeared forever. The Red Book was created in 1960 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The main copy is kept in the city of Morges (Switzerland). The pages of the book are made in four colors, each of which has its own meaning:
passenger pigeons sea cow The only opportunity to ever actually meet them may come from scientists conducting experiments on cloning extinct animals.
Amur tiger snow leopard red wolf pink flamingo goitered gazelle
river beaver moose Despite the fact that immediately after the formation of the Russian Federation in 1992, the established commission on rare and endangered species was tasked with creating the Red Book of Rare Russian Plants and Animals, the first copy of this publication was published only in 2001. The Red Book of the USSR was taken as the basis . What is the Red Book of Russia? This publication has an impressive appearance, the total number of pages is 860. The book is colorfully illustrated with color photographs of rare and extinct plants and animals, their habitats are shown. It is deposited in all major libraries, where anyone can get the necessary information. It is envisaged that it will be supplemented and republished every ten years; if during this time an endangered species has been restored, it is removed from the list, and new species that need help are added to it. The book contains several volumes containing information about rare and endangered species of animals, plants and fungi. |
Distribution of the Altai sheep
At this time, three isolated micropopulations of the Altai sheep are known: near the borders of Mongolia with China, on the Sailyugem ridge and in the mountains near the upper reaches of the Chulyshman River.
The main habitats are mountain steppes located near the foot of the ridges, as well as open areas on slopes at an altitude of 2000-3000 m and higher above sea level. There is no forest vegetation here, but there are thickets of bushes. Herbaceous vegetation here includes small-herb cereals, cereal-legumes, and grass-cobresia associations. Altai sheep use stone screes, steep slopes, and snowfields as shelters. In the warm season, animals go to salt licks every 2-3 days and rarely go to water.
Diet of what argali eats
Wild mountain sheep argali belong to the category of herbivores, which is why the main diet of artiodactyls consists of diverse, herbaceous vegetation, which is characteristic of the area and region in which the subspecies exists. According to numerous scientific observations, bovid argali prefer cereals to any other type of plant food.
This is interesting! All subspecies are unpretentious, therefore, in addition to cereals, they eat sedge and saltwort with great pleasure and in large quantities.
The artiodactyl mammal is not at all afraid of bad weather and precipitation, so it actively eats succulent vegetation even during fairly heavy rains. The presence of water for a mountain sheep is not a daily necessity of life, so such an animal can quite easily not drink for a long time. If necessary, argali are able to drink even salt water.
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Male and female Altai ram: main differences
In Altai sheep, sexual dimorphism is quite pronounced. Firstly, males are always larger than females - 5-10 cm in height and up to 100 kg in weight. Secondly, the horns of females are always much more modest, smaller and thinner than those of males. Finally, the coat color of males is brighter and darker, while females are painted in lighter colors.
Behavior of the Altai ram
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Altai sheep are characterized by regular seasonal migrations. They can be very clearly traced using the example of the Sailyugem micropopulation. In spring, animals will move from the southern slopes to the northern ones, in more comfortable conditions. In autumn they migrate in the opposite direction. In addition to the natural and climatic factor, the timing of migration of Altai sheep is also determined by the migrations of livestock breeders with their livestock. For example, in Altai, cattle are driven to the northern slopes in October, and back in the spring, which also affects the movements of wild sheep.
In general, Altai sheep are perfectly adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of the southern high mountain regions. They are able to withstand the most severe winter frosts, strong winds, even without reliable shelter. But in captivity, animals usually feel poorly, despite the favorable climatic conditions that are created for them.
Altai sheep live in small groups of two types: bachelor males gather separately and females with young animals gather separately.
Natural enemies
The main dangers for argali are:
- golden eagles;
- eagles;
- cougars;
- Snow leopards;
- wolves;
- coyotes;
- cheetahs;
- leopards;
- Human.
Birds of prey pose a danger mainly to newborn babies. Large animals attack both young and mature individuals. It is quite difficult to cope with an adult argali, so most predators try to knock them down in order to throw them into the abyss, and only then eat the wounded or already dead animal.
Read about methods for determining the age of rams and sheep by their teeth.
Reproduction of the Altai sheep
The mating season for Altai sheep lasts from January to early March.
At this time, males behave very aggressively and actively fight with each other for females, clashing horns or hitting their opponents in the sides and chest. Sexual maturity in females occurs at the age of 18 months, in males - at approximately 30 months. The duration of pregnancy is about 5 months. The birth of lambs occurs away from the group, to which the female returns a few weeks later, when the baby is strong enough. The life expectancy of the Altai sheep is from 12 to 18 years.
Distinctive features of argali, their way of life
Mountain sheep are herding animals, most often living in groups of 2 to 100 individuals. Males and females live separately, with the exception of the breeding season. The herd is usually dominated by adult females, their number makes up more than half of the population, the rest of the population consists of adult rams of about 20%, as well as young animals of 20%.
Sometimes you can find argali wandering alone, although small numbers of herds are more common. Females and babies live in large groups, most often up to 92 animals, and sometimes you can find herds of about 200 individuals.
Important! Mountain sheep are calm animals; they do not show aggression towards other species. Rams living in a herd continuously follow one another, they often seek communication with their relatives.
The herd may sometimes migrate, especially if it contains males. Most often, migration begins after a seasonal reduction in plant resources; the movement of argali can also be provoked by large numbers of blood-sucking insects, severe drought and fires, poaching and a large number of domestic farm animals.
Altai sheep fighting for a female
Interesting facts about the Altai sheep
- In recent years, scientists have noted a constant decline in the Altai sheep population (up to 200-300 individuals) and its habitat area. Humans have a negative impact on this process. Animals are directly displaced from their natural habitats by herds of domestic animals. Goats and yaks develop the same pastures located in inaccessible areas of the mountains as wild sheep and simply do not leave them food. The higher the number of livestock, the greater the degradation of pastures and the deterioration of the food supply. The second place in terms of negative impact on the Altai sheep population is occupied by poaching. Animals are shot everywhere, even in the Altai Nature Reserve. Another limiting factor was large-scale geological exploration work on the borders of Mongolia with China, when tractors, all-terrain vehicles, and helicopters were actively used. Snowy, harsh winters also have a bad effect on the life of wild sheep, which leads to increased natural mortality. As a result, the Altai mountain sheep population is steadily declining, and individual habitats of the subspecies are simply disappearing.
- They tried to breed Altai mountain sheep in captivity, in zoos, but all attempts were unsuccessful and ended in the death of the animals. The reasons for this phenomenon remain unclear; perhaps the rams need to be kept close to their habitats, or special conditions similar to natural ones should be created. In general, Altai sheep require attention and active protection of people, a complete ban on fishing, the creation of nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, otherwise this subspecies will very quickly disappear from the face of our planet.
Population status and species protection
It is very difficult to control the numbers of animals, because their natural habitat is inaccessible terrain. The population decline is due not only to human activity and predators, but also to climate change. Due to the extremely small number of these animals, they were included in the Red Book back in Soviet times, where they remain to this day.
Important! Argali breed poorly in captivity - most attempts to breed them end in failure.
To preserve their population, it is necessary to bring environmental conditions
as close as possible To preserve the species, attempts are being made to breed it in captivity. In addition, a number of legislative acts have been adopted prohibiting argali hunting. Territories where the appearance of these animals is noted are immediately included in the list of protected areas.
But these attempts have not yet yielded any results, because the illegal hunting of argali still continues - at least 2-3 cases of poaching are recorded per year.
