Bharal
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 Bharals in Beijing zoo
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| Pseudois nayaur Hodgson, 1833 |
The bharal or Himalayan blue sheep is a caprid found in the high Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet, China, Pakistan and India.
The bharal is a major food source of the snow leopard.
The bharal has horns that grow upwards, curve out and then towards the back, somewhat like an upside down mustache. In males these horns can grow as long as 32 in compared to only 8 in females.
The bharal was also the focus of George Schaller's and Peter Matthiessen's expedition to Nepal in 1973. Their personal experiences are well documented by Matthiessen in his book, The Snow Leopard.
The Dwarf Blue Sheep (P. schaeferi) is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the bharal.
[edit] References
- Harris (2003). Pseudois nayaur. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is of least concern
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