mouflon
(Ovis musimon)

distribution

Corsica and Sardinia

habitat

Found on hard, slightly sloping, rocky ground.

biological characteristics

Males weigh around 32kg and have large curved horns. The horns of females are much smaller and only slightly curved, if present. Their diet consists largely of grasses, leaves and wild plants. Populations will undergo seasonal movements, generally dispersing upward and over a larger area in the summer and concentrating in sheltered valleys during the winter.

conservation status

Endangered

factfile

• All domestic sheep are descended from the mouflon, which was domesticated around 10 to 11,000 years ago in the eastern Mediterranean region.

• Found at elevations from sea level to 1500m.

• Unlike most sheep, female mouflon have only two teats.

• Mouflon do not have wool, but have hair instead.