Snow Sheep - Ovis nivicola

• Ovis nivicola nivicola
• Ovis nivicola borealis
• Ovis nivicola kodarensis
• Ovis nivicola koriakorum

The grayish brown coat is accented by a small patch of light hair on the buttocks. The wooly winter coat is a light, milky coffee colour.

The fronts of the legs are dark chocolate brown, while the rear edges may have whitish markings. A dark band, which runs across the nose between the eyes and muzzle, contrasts greatly with the bright white rostrum. The ears are small and dark grey in colour.

The horns, found in both sexes, are considerably lighter than those of the related Bighorn sheep, with up to 35% less horn substance. Growing to 89 cm long in males, the horns curl backwards, downwards, and upwards around the ears, corkscrewing outwards in old males as the horns begin their second revolution. While the base of a male's horns may be up to 38 cm in circumference, those in females are significantly thinner and shorter, curving backwards in a sabre-like fashion.

Habitat

This species occurs in rocky, mountainous areas, above 1,700 m asl in the Putoran Plato, and above 2,000 m asl in the rest of its range.

Food

Their diet consists primarily of grasses, but also of lichens, mosses, and willow sprouts.

Reproduction and Groupstructure

It is generally non-migratory, but it makes seasonal short distance movements.

At the beginning of spring pregnant females leave herds and in late May and June they give birth to a single young. In June the herds regroup. The old males form small groups and live separately until late autumn, while remaining animals form mixed herds. Mating is in November – December, after that during whole winter snow sheep stay in mixed groups (15 – 20 individuals).

Females are sexually mature at 2 years, while males are not until age 5. Mating is reported to occur in December with lambs born in late June. Their maximum lifespan is much longer than that of other wild Ovis.

No information has been found about predators of the Snow Sheep.

There is no recent estimate of the overall population size for the species, and its trends are unknown.

As of the mid 1980's, the total snow sheep population size was estimated to be between 85,000 and 95,000 comprised of:

There are now some new data on size populations of snow sheep. According to Kamchatka Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (2007), the latest population estimate of Ovis nivicola nivicola is about 7,000 individuals, of which 150 are hunted each year.

Taymyr
The Putoran snow sheep (Ovis nivicola borealis) is a protected subspecies, and its population size has increased during the last decade and currently stands at about 5,500 individuals. More recently, numbers of Putoran sheep have been reported to be increasing and are estimated at 3600. The population has become stable since hunting was prohibited. Population trends for other subpopulations are not available.

The population size of Chukotsk sheep is estimated as 1,500 individuals. Its population density varies from 0,3 to 3,5 individuals per 1,000 ha, and in some parts of its range (Rarytkin, Zolotoy, and Elekay Ranges, Northern and Southern Vapanaivaam Mountains) only single individuals are registered (Red List of Russian Federation 2000).

• Russia

• Lena Delta
• Taymyr

Ovis nivicola - Snow Sheep: Current distribution
Source: IUCN Red List of Threathened Species