Armenian mouflon | |
---|---|
In Zakrya Al Dhabi National Park, Iran (CFF Iranian reservation) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Bovidae |
Subfamily: | Caprinae |
Tribe: | Caprini |
Genus: | Ovis |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | O. g. gmelini |
Trinomial name | |
Ovis gmelini gmelini Blyth, 1841 | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Ovis orientalis gmelinii Contents |
The Armenian mouflon [1] (Ovis gmelini gmelini) is an endangered subspecies of mouflon endemic to Iran, Armenia, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iraq. [2]
The Armenian mouflon was first described in 1840 by Edward Blyth, who equated it with the "Orientalische Schaaf" (Oriental sheep) described by Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin in 1774. [3] [4] [5]
It is known as the Armenian mouflon in both Armenian : հայկական մուֆլոն, haykakan muflon and Persian : قوچ ارمنی, Qutch-e armani. [6] Alternative names include Armenian wild sheep, [7] [8] Armenian red sheep, [9] Transcaucasian mountain sheep, [10] [11] Transcaucasian sheep. [12] and Anatolian mouflon. [2]
In Iran, Armenian mouflons are found in the northwestern part of the country. Individuals were transferred to Kabudan Island in Lake Urmia in 1895 and 1906 by one of the governors of Iranian Azerbaijan. [13] A study carried out in the 1970s at the island found that their number declined from around 3,500 in 1970 to 1,000 in 1973. [7] In 2004 1,658 Armenian wild sheep were counted at the Angouran Protected Area in Iran's Zanjan Province. [14]
In Armenia, O. g. gmelini is found in Syunik Province (and to a lesser extent, in the provinces of Ararat and Vayots Dzor). [15] [16] According to a 2009 study there were "hardly over 200" mouflons in Armenia. [17]
In Azerbaijan, an estimated 250 to 300 mouflons are found in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. [18]
The Armenian mouflon lives mostly in open rough terrain at medium or high altitudes, where they inhabit rocky hill country, lowland and highland steppes, rocky semideserts, grass-covered slopes, and alpine meadows. They spend the summer at the highest elevations, right below the permanent snow. In winter, they move lower and may come into the valleys. They live in small or large herds, and in the summer, the older males live singly or in separate groups. They may live up to 18 years.
O. g. gmelini was listed in Category I of the USSR Red Data Book. In Armenia, hunting it has been forbidden since 1936. A captive-breeding program has been initiated at the Zoological Institute of Armenia aiming to expand Khosrov Nature Reserve, reorganize the Orbubad Sanctuary into a state reserve, control livestock, and reduce poaching. [2] As of 2011, the fine for hunting the Armenian mouflon in Armenia was 3 million drams (roughly $8,000). [19]
In Iran, hunting of O. g. gmelini is allowed only under permit, outside the protected areas, between September and February. Within the protected areas, grazing of domestic livestock is strictly controlled. [2]
The subfamily Caprinae, also sometimes referred to as the tribe Caprini, is part of the ruminant family Bovidae, and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. A member of this subfamily is called a caprine.
The mouflon is a wild sheep native to Caspian region, including eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran. It is also found in Europe. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds.
The urial, also known as arkars, shapo, or shapu, is a wild sheep native to Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Kapan is a town in southeast Armenia, serving as the administrative centre of the Kapan Municipality and also as the provincial capital of Syunik Province. It is located in the valley of the Voghji River and is on the northern slopes of Mount Khustup. Kapan is the most populous town in the Syunik Province as well as the entire region of southern Armenia. According to the 2011 census, the population of Kapan was 43,190, a slight decline from 45,711 in the 2001 census. According to the 2023 official estimate, the current population of the town is around 41,300.
Capra is a genus of mammals, the goats, comprising ten species, including the markhor and several species known as ibexes. The domestic goat is a domesticated species derived from the bezoar ibex. Evidence of goat domestication dates back more than 8,500 years.
The wild goat is a wild goat species, inhabiting forests, shrublands and rocky areas ranging from Turkey and the Caucasus in the west to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. It has been listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List and is threatened by destruction and degradation of habitat.
Ovis is a genus of mammals, part of the Caprinae subfamily of the ruminant family Bovidae. Its seven highly sociable species are known as sheep or ovines. Domestic sheep are members of the genus, and are thought to be descended from the wild mouflon of central and southwest Asia.
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The Caucasus mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Caucasus Mountains, as well as the adjacent Lesser Caucasus range and the eastern end of the Pontic Mountains.
Afghanistan has long been known for diverse wildlife. Many of the larger mammals in the country are categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as globally threatened. These include the snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep, Siberian musk deer, markhor, urial, and the Asiatic black bear. Other species of interest are the ibex, the gray wolf, and the brown bear, striped hyenas, and numerous bird of prey species. Most of the Marco Polo sheep and ibex are being poached for food, whereas wolves, snow leopards and bears are being killed for damage prevention.
Shikahogh State Reserve is Armenia’s second largest forest reserve, covering some 10,330 ha of land, and located in southern Armenia in the Syunik Province. Environmentalists have said it has been largely unaffected by Armenia’s massive post-Soviet deforestation due to its remote location and care shown by residents of nearby villages.
Panthera pardus tulliana, also called Anatolian leopard, Persian leopard and Caucasian leopard in different parts of its range, is a leopard subspecies that was first described in 1856 based on a zoological specimen found in western Anatolia. It is native to the Iranian Plateau and the surrounding region from eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus to the Hindu Kush, where it inhabits foremost subalpine meadows, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and rugged ravines at elevations of 600 to 3,800 m. It preys mostly on ungulates reliant on these habitats.
The wildlife of Azerbaijan consists of its flora and fauna and their natural habitats.
Shvanidzor is a village in the Meghri Municipality of the Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia, near Armenia's border with Iran.
The bezoar ibex is a wild goat subspecies that is native to the montane forested areas in the Caucasus and the Zagros Mountains.
The animal name changes in Turkey is the revision of taxonomic nomenclature of three subspecies by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The name changes removed references to Armenia and Kurdistan in the taxonomic nomenclature of subspecies of each animal.
The Cyprus mouflon, also known as Cypriot mouflon, is an endangered subspecies of mouflon endemic only to Cyprus in the mountains of Paphos District. It is the largest animal on the island and due to its uniqueness and rarity it is the national animal of Cyprus.
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