Ovis ammon ammon

Altai Argali wild sheep is a typical mountain animal.

The 2011 "Handbook of World Mammals" (THE MAMMALS OF THE WORLD) identified the nine subspecies of argali as nine different species. The February 25, 2021 edition of China's "National Key Protected Wildlife List" also adopted this positioning. However, on the March 13, 2020 edition of the "Red List of Threatened Species of the World Conservation Union" (IUCN), the Altai argali is still a nominative subspecies of argali (Ovis ammon ammon).

Altai argali usually lives in a group of 3-5 or dozens of individuals. They are mainly active at dawn and dusk, and often forage during the day in winter. The estrus period is in winter, so that the lambs can be born in spring. They live on grass and leaves, and feed on Gramineae, Allium and weeds. Argali are good at climbing and are relatively cold-resistant. The main natural enemies of argali are wolves and snow leopards.

The Altai argali has long legs and a thin body. Compared with other wild sheep, its climbing skills are relatively poor, so when escaping, it generally avoids running to too steep slopes.

Listed in the "Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union" (IUCN) 2020 ver3.1-Near Threatened (NT).

Listed in the second level of China's "National Key Protected Wildlife List".

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Distributed in the Altai Mountains and its affiliated mountains, the Sayan Mountains, the Junggar and Altai Gobi Mountains, the Umnugovi and Dornogovi steppe mountains, some low mountains in the central Mongolian steppe, the Khan Kent Mountains and the Kangai Mountains, southern Siberia, and the Altai region of Asia, Russia.
They like to live in semi-open alpine bare rock belts and undulating hills between mountains. In the alpine steppes, alpine deserts, alpine meadows and other environments in the mountains above 5,000 meters above sea level, they often move to the lower edge of the snow line in summer. When the habitat is covered with deep snow in winter, they move from high places to low valleys to live, with seasonal vertical migration habits. The species migrates freely in the border mountains of Mongolia, Kazakhstan, China and Russia. Most populations live mainly in western Mongolia. As an alpine species, they prefer to live at altitudes between 300-5,800 meters, at higher al

The body is stout, with males weighing 97-180 kg and females weighing 43-100 kg; shoulder height is 85-140 cm and weight is 65-185 kg. There are 9 subspecies of argali in the world, and the Altai argali is the largest wild sheep among them, with the largest horns. The horns have rounded front edges and severe corrugations, and when fully developed, they will form a complete circle. The horns and skull without the lower jaw can weigh up to 34 kg. The winter color is generally light brown with gray. The buttocks, abdomen, calves and face are white. The summer coat is shorter and lighter, with uniform brown and white spots on the upper part, and the buttocks patches are only slightly lighter than the back. This subspecies does not grow a neck circumference.
The shoulder height is equal to or lower than the buttocks height. The head is large and the neck is thick, and the tail is short. The limbs are short and thick, and the front of the hoof is particularly steep, which is suitable for