The Mouflon...
The Mouflon is a species of wild sheep and as such is one of the Caprinae
or "goat antelopes". The Mouflon is thought to be one of the two ancestors
for all modern domestic sheep breeds. It is red-brown with a dark
back-stripe, light colored saddle patch and underparts. The males are
horned and the females are horned or polled.
They originated in Southwest Asia, where they are now extinct, and were
introduced to the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Cyprus during the
neolithic period, where they naturalized to the mountainous interiors of
these islands over the past few thousand years. They are now rare on the
islands, but have been successfully introduced into central Europe,
including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania,
even in some northern European countries, such as Finland.
The scientific classification of the Mouflon is disputed but the Mouflon
may be considered as either Ovis musimon or Ovis ammon musimon.
Other names: Muflone (Italian), Corsican Mouflon, European Mouflon,
Musimon, Musmon, Sardinian Mouflon.
The mouflon sheep lives on the islands of Sardinia, Corsica and Cyprus.
On its native islands it is considered to be endangered. It is a mountain
sheep and a grazer. The animal does have a voice and warns other sheep
by baaing in different tones. It lives in a grassland biome and feeds on
grass. It does not hibernate. The mouflon sheep is the mountain sheep that
develops a woolly undercoat in the winter. The sheep does not migrate,
but might move around a little to find more food. It usually lives in
groups of 20-30. The sheep uses its curved horns to protect itself.
In the summer months males live away from the females and the young. In
late fall and early winter the males battle for possession of the females.
The dominant males treat the defeated and lower ranking males as females.
The gestation lasts about 5-6 months and from 1-3 lambs are produced in
the spring. The mouflon sheep has been introduced into the mountains of
Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia, and it was a successful experiment.
The mouflon stands about 27 in. tall at the shoulders. It is a reddish
brown color, marked with a dark stripe down its neck and shoulders.
The mouflon is thought to be one of two original ancestors of all modern
day sheep. It originated on the islands of Corsica, Sardina, and Cyprus,
but has recently been introduced in much of Europe. Like most wild sheep,
the mouflon lives in mountainous terrain, usually above the tree line or
in mountain meadows. In Corsica it lives on steep-sided rocky peaks, where
it is protected from predators.
It has a red-brown color with a dark area along its back, and lighter
colored side patches. Its underparts are white as well as the bottom half
of their legs. It has a white muzzle and white circles around its eyes.
The males and females have horns, but those of the males are larger. The
curved, spiral horns are usually around 25 inches in length and are arch
back over its head. The mouflon's horns don't flare out at the end as most
wild sheep's do. The size of a male mouflon's horns determine his status
in the group.
A mouflon is about the size of a medium sheep with a weight range of 55-120
pounds. They are 4-5 feet long, and stand about 2-4 feet tall at the shoulders.
They have a rough coat, and during the winter grow a woolly under coat that
keeps them warm.
The males and females live in separate groups and only come together during
mating season. The ewes will usually have the better foraging grounds because
their health is more important for reproduction. Mouflon mate, or go through
a rut, in late autumn to early winter. The rams' dominance is determined by
his age and the size of his horns. They will crash their horns together to
re-enforce dominance. The ewes don't mate until they are about 2-3 years old.
Males don't mate until they are about 7 years old because they have to
establish a strong social standing before being allowed to mate with a female.
The ewes are pregnant 210 days and can give birth to either one, or twin lambs.
The ewe will go into cover to have her lamb which is up on its feet within
minutes after birth.
The mouflon's diet is tough. Being a herbivore, it grazes on short grasses,
heather, and shrubs. It has a multi-chambered stomach with special microbes
that break down the cellulose of the plant cell walls. After it has eaten its
fill, the mouflon will lie down somewhere, and regurgitate its food, chewing
it a second time to soften it some more. It then swallows it again for the
last time.
Natural predators like bears and wolves have all but disappeared from the
mouflon's range. Eagles can pose a problem for young lambs, and the mouflon
is still hunted for their trophy horns. The mouflon is a shy animal which
feeds mostly at night and doesn't stay long in one place.
Over the last 50 years the mouflon numbers have fallen due to habitat loss,
hunting, and interbreeding with domestic sheep. Sardina population dropped
to 700 in 1975, but appears to be making a low comeback. Corsica has about
200-500 mouflon and Cyprus has even less. These island populations are
listed as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). This means
that there are restrictions on hunting, or trapping the mouflon to sell in
the wild. Introduced herds on the mainland are thriving, however.