Argali

About this species

Size

Shoulder height 85–135cm; head and body 136–200cm; tail 9.5–17cm

Weight

Ewes 43–100kg; rams typically 97–328kg

Habitat

Highlands

Range

Highlands of Central and East Asia, including the Himalaya and Tibet

Gestation

A little over 165 days

The argali is the largest wild sheep. It stands 85–135 cm at the shoulder, with ewes weighing 43–100 kg and rams typically 97–328 kg, and it has the shortest tail of any wild goat-antelope or sheep. The coat varies from light yellow to reddish brown to dark grey-brown, often lightly spotted in a salt-and-pepper pattern in summer, with a yellowish-white face, tail and rump. The male has a whitish neck ruff and a dorsal crest. Himalayan argali are usually relatively dark (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is native to the highlands of Central and East Asia, the Himalaya, Tibet and the Altai. India is within its range, but the cached account gives no detail on where. It lives in herds of two to 150 animals, segregated by sex except during the breeding season, and most rams are seen in small herds of three to 30, though some are solitary. Gestation lasts a little over 165 days. Where it is heavily hunted it is more likely to be found in forested areas (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)