Bovidae family, round 1: Snow Sheep vs Saola
Snow Sheep
Saola
Voting ended onMar 5
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from France
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Netherlands
seen from Russia
Bovidae family, round 1: Snow Sheep vs Saola
Snow Sheep
Saola
Favorite Sheep?
Domestic sheep (Ovis aries)
Argali (Ovis ammon)
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Dall sheep (Ovis dalli)
Mouflon (Ovis gmelini)
Snow sheep (Ovis nivicola)
Urial (Ovis vignei)
Snow Sheep (Ovis nivicola)
Family: Cattle Family (Bovidae)
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
Named for its preference for cold, snowy habitats, the Snow Sheep is a species of wild sheep found in mountainous regions of northeastern Siberia. Throughout much of the year members of this species live in single-sex herds, but during the mating season (which lasts from early December to late January) these herds join together and males (which can be distinguished from females due to their large size and longer horns) begin to fight one another for the attention of females. During the winter temperatures within the Snow Sheep’s range may become as low as -60°C ( -76°F), allowing thick layers of snow to cover the grasses, mosses, lichens and mushrooms that make up the species’ diet, and as such many populations of Snow Sheep undergo seasonal migrations to warmer, more sheltered areas closer to sea level before returning to higher altitudes in the following spring. Genetic analysis indicates that the Snow Sheep is very closely related to two North American species of wild sheep (the Bighorn Sheep and Dall Sheep), suggesting that the ancestors of modern Snow Sheep may have arrived in what is now Siberia by crossing a land bridge between it and western North America before becoming isolated when the land bridge was covered by rising oceans around 11,000 years ago.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Animal Advent Calendar - Day 7
Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42388-Ovis-nivicola
Another one 🐑