Mouflon
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 A Mouflon in Hungary
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| Ovis musimon, Ovis ammon musimon, Ovis gmelini musumon, Ovis gmelini, Ovis orientalis Pallas, 1762 |
The Mouflon is a species of wild sheep and as such is one of the Caprinae or "goat antelopes". It is thought to be one of the two ancestors for all modern domestic sheep breeds[1]. It is red-brown with a dark back-stripe, light colored saddle patch and underparts. The males are horned and the females are horned or polled.
They originated in Southwest Asia, where the species known as Asiatic mouflon (Ovis orientalis) lives. They were introduced to the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, Rhodes and Cyprus during the neolithic period, perhaps as feral domesticated animals, where they naturalized to the mountainous interiors of these islands over the past few thousand years, giving rise to the species known as European mouflon (O. musimon or O. ammon). They are now rare on the islands, but have been successfully introduced into central Europe, including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania, even in some northern European countries, such as Finland.
A mouflon was cloned successfully in early 2001[2] and lived at least seven months. This cloning is significant because it demonstrated that a common species (in this case, a domestic sheep) can successfully provide a surrogate for the birth of an exotic animal like the mouflon. If cloning of the mouflon can proceed successfully, it has the potential to expand the species' gene pool and reduce strain on the number of living specimens.
The scientific classification of the Mouflon is disputed [3] but the European Mouflon may be considered as either Ovis musimon or Ovis ammon musimon.
Other names: Αγρινό (Greek), Muflon (Czech), Muflon (Polish), Muflone (Italian), Corsican Mouflon, European Mouflon, Musimon, Musmon, Sardinian Mouflon, Moufflon.
[edit] Gallery
 Mouflon Ram |
[edit] References
- ^ Hiendleder S, Kaupe B, Wassmuth R, Janke A. (May 7 2002). Molecular analysis of wild and domestic sheep questions current nomenclature and provides evidence for domestication from two different subspecies.. Proceedings. Biological sciences, The Royal Society of London.. Retrieved on August 2, 2006.
- ^ Trivedi, Bijal P. (2001). "Scientists Clone First Endangered Species: a Wild Sheep". National Geographic Today. Retrieved on February 21, 2006.
- ^ Tonda, J. (2002). "Ovis ammon". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved on November 19, 2005.
