Atlas der Säugetiere Nordrhein-Westfalens

Mufflon

228 entries

Mouflon

Rote Liste NRW: nb nicht bewertet

  entry

Ovis orientalis

Mouflons are a bit large than the roe deer; the body is robust. The bucks have strong, circular arch-shaped horns and the ewes are hornless or have short narrow horns. Mouflons originally lived on Sardinia, Corsica and Cyprus in rocky open mountains with dry climate. Since the 16th century they are kept as game in Central Europe. In their original area of distribution populations are not secure.

Sheep, lambs and juveniles as well as young rams live together in herds, older rams in ram herds or alone. At the beginning of the rutting season, starting in October, the ram herd dissolves. During the rutting season the rams fight for exclusive access to the herds of sheep. Today there are up to 30 races of wild sheep. Regarding the relationship of today′s wild sheep there are different opinions.

In North Rhine-Westphalia live 26 populations distributed across the state. The typical foods are grasses, herbs, leaves, buds, bark, shrubs, and acorns. Among ruminants Mouflons are the species with the most pronounced tendency to eat roughage.

Author

Michael Petrak

Citation

Petrak M (2023): Mufflon (Ovis orientalis).In: AG Säugetierkunde NRW — Online-Atlas of the mammals of North Rhine-Westphalia. Downloaded from saeugeratlas-nrw.lwl.org on 2023/03/27