Mouflon

Mouflon(Ovis musimon, or Ovis gmelini)

Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — artiodactyla
Family — bovidae

Genus – ovis

Appearance

Mouflon have reddish to dark brown, short-haired coats with dark back stripes and black ventral areas and light-colored saddle patches.

The males are horned; some females are horned, while others are polled. The horns of mature rams are curved in almost one full revolution (up to 85 cm).

Mouflon have shoulder heights around 0.9 m and body weights of 50 kg (males) and 35 kg (females).

Habitat

Mouflon inhabit certain countries in central Asia, in the west from Turkey and Mediterranean islands, eastwards to Pakistan. In addition, they were introduced as game animals in Western Europe, U.S., Argentina and Chile.

Behavior

Males and female mouflon live in separate groups, only coming together for the mating season. The dominance of a ram depends on his age and how big his horns are. Fights between rams about their harem of ewes rarely cause serious injuries, and the winner does not make any further attacks. The two contestants will graze alongside each other, with the winner every now and again initiating an "appeasement ceremony" where he presents his neck to be licked by the other ram, sometimes kneeling for this purpose.

Mouflon usually feed early in the day as well as during the evening, and will rest during the day.

Diet

Mouflon graze on grasses, but if food is scarce they will browse leaves and fruits.

Reproduction

Mouflon are polygynous, and rams will fight each other to achieve dominance and win the opportunity to mate with the females. Mouflon mate from autumn to early winter. Gestation lasts around 210 days, with one to three two lambs born in April. The ewe goes into cover to give birth, and the newborn is on its feet within a few minutes, and soon after birth it can run about. A lamb remains closely tied to its mother, suckling every 10 to 15 minutes. Mouflon are sexually mature after about two to three years.

Life expectancy in the wild is 8-12 years, in captivity it can reach up to 19 years.

In captivity

When designing aviaries, you need to take into account the main functional schemes of an animal life:

• food;
• absence of stress factors (proximity of predators, unfavorable climatic conditions);
• ability to move;
• availability of the appropriate species group;
• the prospects of reproduction of the population.

The enclosure infrastructure is based on the landscape, terrain, and availability of pastures and should include the following main elements:

• special facilities for animal feeding and veterinary activities;
• complex feed platforms;
• hay feeders;
• special salty stones for licking
• reservoirs or structures for ensuring uninterrupted water supply;
• shelters from the weather.

The soil on which moufflon enclosures are built should be dry and rocky.