European Mouflon

Class: Mammals

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Bovidae

Weight: 25 to 55 kg

Height: 90 cm

Body Length: Up to 120 cm

Color: Rams are red-brown in summer, often with a whitish saddle patch, while ewes are brownish.

Age of Sexual Maturity: 1.5 years

Gestation Period: Approximately 150 days

Lifespan: 8 to 18 years

Habitat: Their natural habitat consists of dry, rocky landscapes. They show a clear preference for steppe zones with grassy and shrubby vegetation. The mouflon is found from the Caucasus and southern regions of Tajikistan/Turkmenistan to the Mediterranean and northwestern India.

Diet: Grasses, leaves, berries, and woody shoots

Did you know?

• This hoofed animal becomes vulnerable in lowlands as it is accustomed to running quickly only for short distances, making it an easy target for pursuers in open areas.
• A strong skull and special horn structure help the European mouflon withstand powerful blows.
• The mouflon is one of the oldest representatives of the animal kingdom. The first references to mouflons date back to the 3rd millennium BC, with their drawings found in the Sahara Desert.
• Mouflons are the only rams that do not shed their horns.