Overview
Overall color is reddish-brown, with the chest and front of upper forelegs a darker brown. There is a narrow brown flank band and a grayish saddle patch. Underparts, rump patch, lower legs, muzzle, area around the eyes, and inside of ears are white. They do not have a bib. As in the Cyprian and Armenian mouflons, the horns are supracervical, curving above and behind the neck. Females are hornless.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Ovis
- Species
- Mouflon, gmelini
Habitat
Open rolling hills.
Diet
Primarily consumes grass but will browse when necessary. Feeding is done mostly early in the morning and evening.
Behavior
They are gregarious animals and form non-territorial herds. They rest during the day under and between rocks and shade trees where they can stay well hidden. Mating season lasts from late November to early December, with females giving birth to a single lamb after a 5-6 month gestation.
Hunting
Limited permits were issued in 2006 and continued in 2007. Special hunting permits are occasionally available from the Turkish government, and on at least one occasion, a darting (tranquilizing) permit was available when biologists needed to obtain blood and tissue samples.
Conservation Status
Population was estimated to be 2,000 animals in 1987. The main threats are poaching and competition with domestic sheep.