The urial is a subspecies of the wild sheep Ovis orientalis. It has noticeable reddish-brown fur fading in winter. Males have a black ruff from neck to chest and large horns. The urial lives in central Asia. The mouflon is the other subspecies group of O. orientalis. They were often seen as separate species. The urial prefers grasslands and gentle slopes, but also lives in cold, bare areas. It mates starting September. Rams select some ewes, which birth lambs after five months. In 1841, Edward Blyth proposed the scientific name Ovis vignei for wild sheep in the Sulaiman Mountains. The name honors Godfrey Vigne.
Is a urial a RAM?
The urial is a medium-sized wild sheep native to Central Asia. Also known as arkars or shapo, it is listed as Vulnerable. This agile climber navigates rocky mountain terrains with ease. Using sharp hooves and strong legs, the urial climbs steep slopes. This herbivore mainly grazes on grass, herbs and leaves. Living in high altitudes, the urial survives extreme temperatures and low oxygen. It has a social hierarchy.
The males are called rams. Large rams have massive horns that curl back past 40 inches. Their flowing white bibs/beards extend over 9 inches. Weighing up to 200 pounds, rams are much bigger than females at 100 pounds. There is strict dominance between rams based on age and horn size. For dominance they rear up and crash horns.
Females or ewes lack the male’s saddle patch, bib and large horns. Their horns are shorter and compressed. Lambs are smaller with grayer coats. All urials have reddish-brown fur in summer that fades in winter. The rams’ distinguishing features are the black ruff spreading to the chest and huge curled horns growing up to 3 feet. Clearly the sexes look very different.
Several urial subspecies exist, each uniquely adapted to their home range. The most well-known is the Punjab urial of northeast Pakistan and northwest India. Urials may descend to lower altitudes in winter seeking vegetation. Overall a docile animal, the urial poses little danger. Their impressive appearance aside, urials largely lead peaceful lives grazing Himalayan foothills.
Why are urial endangered?
Why are urials endangered? The urial population is endangered due to poaching, habitat degradation, range loss, overgrazing by livestock, and disease transmission. Urials have to compete with livestock and other wild animals for food and water.
The primary cause is habitat loss and fragmentation. Human activities have destroyed their natural habitat. As a result, the urials have become isolated in small pockets of land, which has reduced their genetic diversity.
Predators of urials are typically large carnivores. These include snow leopards, wolves, golden eagles, and shepherd dogs.
Urial is the scientific name Ovis Orientalis. It means a wild sheep that has long legs with smaller horns compared to its body. But urials have large curly horns. Urials also go by names like shapo or arkars.
The IUCN Red List classifies the urial as Vulnerable. The main threats are humans and destruction of their habitat. Urials largely depend on their habitat for food.
Urial fur is usually brownish red. Males have white ‘beards’ on their faces below the mouths. Females are almost the same color all over except the legs near the hooves. Like most wild sheep, they live in hilly terrain and are herbivores.
The Ladakh urial is highly endangered. It is recovering from hunting and other pressures. Urials play a vital role in the mountain ecosystem. But diminishing food sources due to habitat loss put the species at risk. Their coat helps camouflage into the surroundings as protection from predators like snow leopards and wolves.
What do urials eat?
Urials are herbivorous animals. Their diet consists of grasses, shrubs, grains, tree leaves and bushes. Urials forage at crop fields too.
The urial population is endangered due to poaching, habitat degradation, range loss, overgrazing by livestock, and disease transmission. Their predators are typically large carnivores like snow leopards, wolves, golden eagles, and shepherd dogs.
Urials belong to the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Chordata, the class Mammalia, and the order Artiodactyla.
The Urial, also known as the Arkarsis sheep or shapoorkohi, inhabits the mountainous regions of Central Asia. With their striking horns and agile nature, Urials are truly a sight to behold in their natural habitat.
Urials graze mainly on grass, but they may also feed upon leaves from shrubs and trees. The urial species is considered vulnerable, but most subspecies are actually endangered.
The Transcaspian Urial Ram is a subspecies of the wild sheep Ovis orientalis. Urial males have large horns, females have shorter, compressed horns.
Urial live in the grassy slopes of mountains in Kazakhstan, Iran, Pakistan, India and western central Asia.
The urial is an herbivorous mammal that inhabits several mountainous regions of Asia. The urial belongs to the family of bovids or rams and has peculiar curved horns. In the mountainous areas of Asia they can be seen relatively easily.
The urial was first officially described in 1841. Soon we will have more information about where urials live, what they eat, and what distinguishes them.
The conservation status of the urial is threatened as their habitat is suitable for human development. The Afgha Urial is found in Musakhel district in Surghar and Torghar.
Urials are polygynous. The mating season is from November to December. They bear one lamb after a 5-month gestation period.
The males of this sheep species are called rams and the females are known as ewes. A baby urial is called a lamb. Urials prefer to live in areas filled with leafy vegetation. In winter months, you can notice them coming down to lower altitudes to search for food.