The Altai argali (''Ovis ammon ammon'') is the nominate (predominant)
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of
argali
The argali (''Ovis ammon''), also known as the mountain sheep, is a wild ovis, sheep native to the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains.
Description
The name 'argali' is the Mongolian language, Mongolian ...
, a large-horned wild
sheep
Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') 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 d ...
endemic to the highlands of the
Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The ...
of
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
.
Altai argali are the largest sheep in the world, and also have some of the heaviest and most elaborate horns. The horns of mature rams normally weigh 45 to 50 pounds, with large rams’ horns weighing up to 75 pounds (35 kg).
[Rashid Jamsheed (1996), ''Memories of a Sheep Hunter'', Safari Press (2nd edition), .]
References
External links
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Ovis
Mammals of Central Asia
Mammals of China
Mammals of Russia
Mammals of Mongolia
Mammals described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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