Snow sheep (Ovis nivicola Esch.) in North-Eastern Siberia
1994
Zeleznov, N.K. (North-East Pacific Inst. of Geography, Chukotka, Anadyr (Russian Federation). Dept. of Nature Management)
Snow sheep (Ovis nivicola Eschscholty), one of the rare species of cloven-footed game of the former Soviet Union, belongs to the faunistic complex of the extensive mountain systems of north-eastern Asia. The larger part of its area is in north-eastern Siberia including Chukotsk peninsula. It is a rare subspecies with a characteristic social structure and behaviour, being a suitable model for the study of the ecosystems of northen Asia, which is important for understanding the causes of the general reducing of its numbers. With regard to craniometric measurements and colouring snow sheep represent an independent systematic subspecies - Ovis nivicola tschuktchorum ssp. n., Chukotsk snow sheep. The colouring has its differentiation: animals of both sexes lack the yellow colour and males lack the big white stain characteristic for the Okhotsk and Yakutsk subspecies. The colour is generally bright with brownish-grey shades. The natural area of distribution of snow sheep has been diminished by uncontrolled poaching. The sheep occurs in the Anadyr district on the Chukotsk peninsula (excluding the Koriacky Mountains) from hilly country at an altitude of 500 m to mountains at an altitude of 1,300 m. Its habitat is classified into 9 types. Data on the numbers varies from 5 to 8 thousand, though due to incomplete inventories a total number of 2800 to 3000 snow sheep on the Chukotsk peninsula is supposed. Great losses of snow sheep are caused by elemental calamities, especially ice-covered ground in winter
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