Marco Polo sheep

Last updated

Marco Polo sheep
Marco polo sheep line drawing.jpg
Engraving of a Marco Polo sheep, c. 1883
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Tribe: Caprini
Genus: Ovis
Species:
O. ammon
Subspecies:
O. a. polii
Trinomial name
Ovis ammon polii
Blyth, 1841 [2]
Synonyms [3]

Ovis ammon poli
Ovis ammon poloi
Ovis ammon sculptorium
Ovis ammon typica
Ovis poli

Contents

The Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii) is a subspecies of argali sheep, named after Marco Polo. Their habitat are the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Marco Polo sheep are distinguishable mostly by their large size and spiraling horns. Their conservation status is "near threatened" and efforts have been made to protect their numbers and keep them from being hunted. It has also been suggested that crossing them with domestic sheep could have agricultural benefits.

Naming

The binomial name of the species as a whole is Ovis ammon , [4] described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758, [2] and all members of the species are commonly called "argali". [5] The Marco Polo subspecies Ovis ammon polii was first described scientifically by zoologist Edward Blyth in 1841. [5] These sheep are also commonly called "Marco Polo's Argali" [6] or the "Pamir Argali.". [7]

The sheep are named after the 13th century explorer Marco Polo because they were described in The Travels of Marco Polo . [8] The 1914 Historical and Political Gazetteer of Afghanistan: Badakhshan notes that in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan the sheep are known locally as nakhjipar. They are called "ra-ma-poy" in Wakhi, the language of natives of the Khunzerav region round the high Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China. [9]

Characteristics

Skull of an old male with large horns Marco polo sheep skull.jpg
Skull of an old male with large horns

The sheep is particularly known for its long, spiraling horns which have been measured having a span up to 140 cm (55 in). [10] They have the longest horns of all sheep, [11] with the longest individual horn ever recorded measuring 1.9 m (6.2 ft) and weighing 60 lb (27 kg). [12] O. a. polii's horns follow a coil pattern, with the tips pointed directly away horizontally from the head; [13] in spite of this, the tips are rarely broken. [14] The horns have long been a popular attraction for trophy hunters. [4] They begin growing 15–20 days after the sheep are born, and their growth in length is most pronounced during the first year. [15] Thickness growth is most noticeable during the first two years. [15]

Ovis ammon sheep are colored a dark brown, with white underparts; the two different sections are separated by a dark band of hair. [16] There is a white patch on the rump as well, which is not so clearly defined on most subspecies except O. a. polii. [6] As winter approaches, the white hair on males grows longer, until it becomes a prominent ruff, [16] although on O. a. polii the ruff stands out less than other subspecies. [6] Females' coats are lighter than the males', [17] and do not have such a drastic seasonal change. [13] The Marco Polo sheep's face is lighter colored than the body. [6]

Most argali have a round tail approximately 6 to 10 centimetres (2.4 to 3.9 in) long, ending in a tuft of hair; [13] O. a. polii's tail is a little bit longer: around 12 to 16 centimetres (4.7 to 6.3 in). [6]

Mature rams on average weigh 126 kg (278 lb). [18] At the withers, rams grow to approximately 113 cm (44 in) in height and ewes to 100 cm (39 in). [19] The sheep rut in December. [15] Gestation lasts about 160 days, [20] with single births being normal and twins uncommon. [21] A captive ewe once gave birth to five lambs at once, then triplets two years later. [15]

Marco Polo sheep have an average life span of 13 years. [21] The horns develop rings each year by which the age of male animals may be determined. [22] Since females do not have horns, it is harder to determine their age. [23]

No data have been compiled showing the susceptibility of the sheep to disease, although tests have been run on similar species of sheep and the data may be similar. [24] Since Marco Polo sheep are reluctant to approach people, it is not likely that they can catch diseases common to domestic flocks, [24] although some domestic sheep are allowed to run wild over the mountains, and it is unknown if they come into contact with Marco Polo sheep. [25] However, the shepherds in the area do not generally have access to veterinary care for their animals, and it is possible that these could transmit diseases to the wild sheep. [26]

Habitat

Most Marco Polo sheep live in the Pamir Mountains region adjacent to the borders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China. [27] [28] Their elevation ranges from 3,700 to 4,800 m (12,100 to 15,700 ft) above sea level. [10] The subspecies lives mainly in the northwestern part of the Hunza district of Pakistan along the Chinese border, [29] inhabiting the Kilik Mintaka border and the northwestern area of Khunjerab National Park. [12] [29] Marco Polo sheep also inhabit the Wakhan Corridor, along the Afghanistan border. [30] They share much of their habitat with animals such as the Siberian ibex. [31] During summer, Marco Polo sheep prefer to be near riparian areas and vegetation, while during winter they prefer to be in gentler and south-facing mountain slopes. [32] Terrain ruggedness and annual mean temperature are the two major factors that affect their distribution. [33]

Behavior

Marco Polo sheep are similar in behavior to other members of the genus Ovis . [34] They generally live in small flocks of a few dozen. [5] During the summer, they break into smaller flocks of the same sex. [34] During and after the rut, however, they group together to form larger groups for protection, and to conserve energy. [35]

When the rut begins, rams begin to fight for dominance among their flocks; [36] dominant rams then choose their ewes without competition from the losers. [37] Only mature rams (those over 6 years old) fight for dominance. The young will sometimes threaten older males, but never charge them. [36] The mature rams fight by standing next to each other and spinning around, then one steps back and charges. [36] O. a. polii males have been noted to rise up on their hind legs when they clash with opponents, which is not common in lowland sheep and similar to the fighting habits of goats. [38] The males commonly emit grunts while fighting and often chip their horns or break their noses. [36]

After dominance has been established, the rams begin to select their ewes. [36] Although Marco Polo sheep rams are known to herd females, during the rut males pair off with females to reproduce. [37] Males will approach a flock of females and smell the urine of possible mates. [36] When smelling the ewe's urine, the males display the Flehmen response to test if the ewe is in estrus. [36] Shackleton calls this phenomenon "lip-curl" and describes it as "raising the head with the mouth open and upper lip curled back." [37] The ram then splits from the flock to copulate with his ewe and afterward will often stay with the flock for a month or two. [36]

Conservation

A Marco Polo sheep head as a hunting trophy, mounted on a wall Marco Polo sheep head.jpg
A Marco Polo sheep head as a hunting trophy, mounted on a wall

Hunting

Hunting the Marco Polo sheep first became popular when Mohammed Zahir Shah, king of Afghanistan, hunted and killed a ram in the 1950s. [39] He thereafter declared that the valley in which he hunted be a protected habitat for the sheep as a hunting grounds for Afghan royalty, and it was not until 1968 that an American tourist was allowed to hunt in the reserve. [39] In 2008, it was estimated that American hunters paid an average of $20,000 to $25,000 for an expedition to hunt a Marco Polo sheep. [40] A recent study put the cost at $40,000 per permit. [41]

In 1976, in Khunzerav, the sheep's population was estimated to be 300. [29] This number declined to a maximum of 160 between 1978 and 1981, and declined again to only 45 in 1991. [29] George Schaller of the Wildlife Conservation Society estimated the worldwide population in 2003 as around 10,000, half what Ronald Petocz estimated in his 1973 tour. [11] Their population density has been recorded as fewer than two animals per 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi). [16] The Marco Polo sheep was included on the first list of protected species issued by the Afghanistan National Environmental Protection Agency in June 2009. [42]

In 2024, an American man pled guilty to illegally importing body parts of Marco Polo sheep to create clone hybrids, which he planned to sell to private hunting reserves in Texas. [43] [44]

Khunjerab National Park

The Khunjerab National Park was established primarily as a means to protect the Marco Polo sheep (as well as snow leopards and bharal) living in the area. [45] The borders of the park were mapped by Schaller in 1974, after a short field survey. The park was formally established on April 29, 1975 by Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who said that "it must become a world famous park". [46]

Mountains in the Khunjerab National Park Khunjerab Pass Pakistan China.jpg
Mountains in the Khunjerab National Park

Despite being listed as a category 2 national park, banning human activities including agriculture and hunting, the park was poorly managed, meaning that illegal hunting of the Marco Polo sheep continued. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature commissioned Norwegian biologist Per Wegge to do a wildlife survey of the park in 1988. [47] Wegge found that there was no evidence of competition between the domestic sheep being illegally grazed and the wild Marco Polo sheep, and that most of the illegal hunting was not being done by local Wakhi residents, but by Pakistani military and civil officials. [47] He therefore proposed that the park be reclassified, allowing grazing and commercial hunting, with the profits going to local residents. However, the government overlooked Wegge's suggestions, instead drawing up a new management plan, which both the IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund supported as a means to preserve the park and protect the wildlife. Wegge was critical of the government scheme, claiming that it was based on financial considerations, with the Pakistani government hoping to attract tourists to the area. The IUCN agreed with this, and has since distanced itself from the national park. [48] To help protect the animals from poaching, the WWF has created the Khunjerab Village Organization, which relies on people living in the area to report poaching or endangered animal sightings. [49]

Pamir Peace Park

In 2008, George Schaller launched a campaign to protect the Marco Polo sheep. [40] After the Khunjerab National Park was established by Pakistan in 1975; and the Taxkorgan Nature Reserve similarly settled in China in 1984, Schaller noted that the parks were insufficient to protect the sheep, due to their seasonal migrations. [50] Schaller, among others, then proposed an international reserve in 1987 to combat the problem, but the effort was stalled due to political difficulties. [50] "It's never easy to get the governments of four countries to agree on anything," Schaller has said of his efforts. [51] His mission was to found a park straddling the borders of China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan in which the sheep would be protected. [52] Schaller called the proposed reserve the "Pamir International Peace Park." [50]

Agriculture

According to Marco Polo's original description of the sheep, the horns (which he described as "as much as six palms in length") [4] were used by shepherds to craft large bowls, or to build pens for the flocks. [53] This sheep may be crossed with domestic sheep to provide larger cuts of leaner meat. [54] Additionally, as the meat of Marco Polo sheep is said to lack the muttony flavor of domestic sheep meat, researchers for the United States National Research Council Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation concluded that the meat of a cross may prove popular with consumers. [55] However, Marco Polo sheep could be bred for more than just meat: their horns could be valuable, as could their hides or their wool. [56]

Notes

  1. ↑ The IUCN redlist lists endangered animals by species: although the IUCN recognizes the subspecies, it does not give the status of each one. The species Ovis ammon has been listed as "near threatened". (Harris & Reading 2008)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mouflon</span> Species group of the wild sheep

The mouflon is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, and the Caspian region, including eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran. It is also found in parts of Europe. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urial</span> Species of mammal

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bighorn sheep</span> Species of sheep native to North America

The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to 14 kg (30 lb); the sheep typically weigh up to 143 kg (315 lb). Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: O. c. sierrae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert bighorn sheep</span> Subspecies of bighorn sheep

The desert bighorn sheep is a subspecies of bighorn sheep that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The Bureau of Land Management considered the subspecies "sensitive" to extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolai Severtzov</span> Russian explorer and naturalist (1827–1885)

Nikolai Alekseevich Severtzov was a Russian explorer and naturalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dall sheep</span> Species of mammal

Ovis dalli, also known as the Dall sheep or thinhorn sheep, is a species of wild sheep native to northwestern North America. Ovis dalli contains two subspecies: Ovis dalli dalli and Ovis dalli stonei. O. dalli live in mountainous alpine habitats distributed across northwestern British Columbia, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska. They browse a variety of plants such as grasses, sedges and even shrubs such as willow, during different times of the year. They also acquire minerals to supplement their diet from mineral licks. Like other Ovis species, the rams engage in dominance contests with their horns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep</span> Subspecies of bighorn sheep

The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep is subspecies of bighorn sheep unique to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. A 2016 genetics study confirmed significant divergence between the three subspecies of North America's bighorn sheep: Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and desert bighorn sheep. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep were listed as a federally endangered subspecies in 2000. In 2016, over 600 Sierra bighorn remained in the wild. However, in 2023, more recent studies indicate that the population has dropped to approximately half, or 300. This is due to high levels of mountain lion predation combined with heavy snowfall, threatening the species even further.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argali</span> Species of sheep

The argali, also known as the mountain sheep, is a wild sheep native to the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains.

<i>Ovis</i> Genus of mammals

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemis National Park</span> National Park in Ladakh, India

Hemis National Park is a high-elevation national park in Hemis in Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is approx. 50 km from Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Globally famous for its snow leopards, it is believed to have the highest density of them in any protected area in the world. It is the only national park in India that is north of the Himalayas, the largest notified protected area in India and is the second largest contiguous protected area, after the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and surrounding protected areas. The park is home to a number of species of endangered mammals, including the snow leopard. Hemis National Park is India's protected area inside the Palearctic realm, outside the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary northeast of Hemis, and the proposed Tso Lhamo Cold Desert Conservation Area in North Sikkim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khunjerab National Park</span> National park in Pakistan

Khunjerab National Park is a national park in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Khunjerab National Park is Pakistan's third largest national park, and is adjacent to the Taxkorgan Natural Reserve in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swaledale sheep</span> Breed of sheep

Swaledale is a breed of domestic sheep named after the Yorkshire valley of Swaledale in England. They are found throughout the more mountainous areas of Great Britain, but particularly in the Yorkshire Dales, County Durham, and around the Pennine fells of Cumbria.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Horn</span> Breed of sheep

The Norfolk Horn is one of the British black-faced sheep breeds. It differs from other black-faced breeds, which are mainly found in high-rainfall, upland areas, and from most other modern, lowland British sheep breeds in being lightly built and very hardy. This breed is raised primarily for meat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European mouflon</span> Subspecies of mammal

The European mouflon is a feral subspecies of the primitive domestic sheep. It is found in Europe and western Asia. It is originally from western Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheep</span> Domesticated ruminant bred for meat, wool, and milk

Sheep or domestic sheep are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term sheep can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female is referred to as a ewe, an intact male as a ram, occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a young sheep as a lamb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karakoram–West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe</span> Montane grasslands and shrublands in parts of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and India

The Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion found in parts of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Schaller</span> American naturalist (born 1933)

George Beals Schaller is an American mammalogist, biologist, conservationist and author. Schaller is recognized by many as the world's preeminent field biologist, studying wildlife throughout Africa, Asia and South America. Born in Berlin, Schaller grew up in Germany, but moved to Missouri as a teen. He is vice president of Panthera Corporation and serves as chairman of their Cat Advisory Council. Schaller is also a senior conservationist at the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

Chang Tang National Nature Reserve lies in the northern Tibetan Plateau. It is the third-largest land nature reserve in the world, after the Northeast Greenland National Park and Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, with an area of over 334,000 km2 (129,000 sq mi), making it bigger than 183 countries. Administratively, it lies in Xainza County and Biru County of the Nagqu Prefecture. With the more recently established adjoining reserves listed below there is now a total of 496,000 km2 of connected Nature Reserves, which represents an area almost as large as Spain and bigger than 197 other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taxkorgan Nature Reserve</span> Nature reserve in Xinjiang, China

The Taxkorgan Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It is situated around the Taghdumbash Pamir of Pamir Mountains and Karakorum Mountains. It covers about 14,000 square kilometres (5,400 sq mi) was established in 1984 mainly to protect the rare Marco Polo sheep and Tibetan argali. It has since also served to protect other species such as the snow leopard.

References

  1. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  2. 1 2 Wilson & Reeder 2005
  3. ↑ Fedosenko & Blank 2005, p. 2
  4. 1 2 3 Schaller & Kang 2008
  5. 1 2 3 Dohner 2002 , p. 66
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Magin & Groombridge 1994 , p. 2
  7. ↑ Shackleton 1999
  8. ↑ Bergreen 2007 , p. 74
  9. ↑ Ludwig W. Adamec. Historical and political gazetteer of Afghanistan Vol. 1. Badakhshan Province and northeastern Afghanistan. Graz  : Akad. Druck- und Verl.-Anst., 1972.p. 163.
  10. 1 2 British Museum 1885 , pp. 44–45
  11. 1 2 Lovgren 2006
  12. 1 2 Dan 2006
  13. 1 2 3 Magin & Groombridge 1994 , p. 1
  14. ↑ Schaller 1998 , p. 85
  15. 1 2 3 4 Fedosenko & Blank 2005 , p. 6
  16. 1 2 3 Huffman 2004
  17. ↑ Fedosenko & Blank 2005 , p. 3
  18. ↑ Ward 1887 , p. 43
  19. ↑ Petocz 1978
  20. ↑ Geist 2009
  21. 1 2 Roberts 1998
  22. ↑ Petocz 1978 , p. 5
  23. ↑ Petocz 1978 , p. 10
  24. 1 2 Ostrowski 2007 , p. 36
  25. ↑ Ostrowski 2007 , p. 38
  26. ↑ Wildlife Conservation Society 2006 , p. 11
  27. ↑ Ives 2004 , p. 40
  28. ↑ Wildlife Conservation Society 2006 , p. 14
  29. 1 2 3 4 Shackleton 1997 , p. 259
  30. ↑ Miller 2006 , p. 9
  31. ↑ Petocz 1978 , p. 21
  32. ↑ Salas, Eric Ariel L.; Valdez, Raul; Michel, Stefan (2017-01-11). "Summer and winter habitat suitability of Marco Polo argali in southeastern Tajikistan: A modeling approach". Heliyon. 3 (11): e00445. Bibcode:2017Heliy...300445S. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00445 . ISSN   2405-8440. PMC   5681343 . PMID   29159323.
  33. ↑ Salas, Eric Ariel L.; Valdez, Raul; Michel, Stefan; Boykin, Kenneth (2018). "Habitat assessment of Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii) in Eastern Tajikistan: Modeling the effects of climate change". Ecology and Evolution. 8 (10): 5124–5138. Bibcode:2018EcoEv...8.5124S. doi: 10.1002/ece3.4103 . PMC   5980363 . PMID   29876087.
  34. 1 2 Petocz 1978 , p. 27
  35. ↑ Petocz 1978 , p. 28
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fedosenko & Blank 2005 , p. 10
  37. 1 2 3 Shackleton & Shank 1984 , p. 507
  38. ↑ Shackleton & Shank 1984 , p. 505
  39. 1 2 Petocz 1978 , p. 1
  40. 1 2 Long 2008
  41. ↑ "IJGI | Free Full-Text | Geographic Layers as Landscape Drivers for the Marco Polo Argali Habitat in the Southeastern Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan | HTML". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  42. ↑ Department of State 2009
  43. ↑ "Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed 'giant' sheep for sale to hunting preserves". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  44. ↑ Chasan, Aliza (2024-03-13). "Man spent years trying to create giant hybrid sheep to be "sold and hunted as trophies," federal prosecutors say - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  45. ↑ Kemf 1993 , p. 141
  46. ↑ Kalland & Bruun 1995 , p. 108
  47. 1 2 Kalland & Bruun 1995 , p. 109
  48. ↑ Kalland & Bruun 1995 , p. 110
  49. ↑ Khan 2008
  50. 1 2 3 Schaller 2007 , p. 1
  51. ↑ Miller 2010
  52. ↑ Wallace 2007
  53. ↑ Childress 2007 , p. 63
  54. ↑ Spillett, Bunch & Foote 1975 , p. 1014
  55. ↑ United States National Research Council 1983 , p. 100
  56. ↑ Sharma 2002 , p. 253

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.