Mouflon
(ovis ammon musimon)
- Order: Artiodactyls
- Family: Bovidae
- Genre: Ovis
- Species: Ovis ammon
- Average weight: Males between 150 and 200 kg, females between 75 and 125 kg ..
BIOLOGY OF THE SPECIES
The mouflon is a short-coat “wild ram”; males have recurved horns (the trophy in this species), and females, when present, are very poorly developed.
This species presents average values of weight between 25 and 50 kg, a total length of 1,10 to 1,30 m and its height to the club can vary between 65 and 75 cm.
The origins of the mouflon are not yet clarified, with authors claiming to have this origin in domestic sheep introduced into Mediterranean islands (Sardinia and Corsica).
At present, it has a wide European distribution (Central and Southern Europe), although in Portugal its introduction is very recent and very localized.
In mouflon, the estrus occurs in November and the parisons usually occur in April. The species is sociable; in the summer the adult males gather in groups independent of other groups, formed by females and young people.