Ovis Poli
| Marco Polo Sheep | |
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| Engraving of a Marco Polo sheep, c. 1883 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Genus: | Ovis |
| Species: | O. ammon |
| Subspecies: | O. a. polii |
| Trinomial name | |
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Ovis ammon polii Blyth, 1841 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ovis ammon poli |
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Ovis ammon poli
Ovis ammon poloi
Ovis ammon sculptorium
Ovis ammon typica
Ovis poli
The Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii) is a subspecies of argali sheep, named after Marco Polo. Their habitat is the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Marco Polo sheep are distinguishable mostly by their large size and spiraling horns. Their conservation status is "near threatened" and efforts have been made to protect their numbers and keep them from commercial hunting. It has also been suggested that crossing them with domestic sheep could have agricultural benefits.
The binomial name of the species as a whole is Ovis ammon, described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758, and all members of the species are commonly called "argali". The Marco Polo subspecies Ovis ammon polii was first described scientifically by zoologist Edward Blyth in 1841. These sheep are also commonly called "Marco Polo's Argali" or the "Pamir Argali.".
The sheep are named after the 13th century explorer Marco Polo because they were described in The Travels of Marco Polo. The 1914 Historical and Political Gazetteer of Afghanistan: Badakhshan notes that in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan the sheep are known locally as nakhjipar. They are called "ra-ma-poy" in Wakhi, the language of natives of the Khunzerav region round the high Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China.
The sheep is particularly known for its long, spiraling horns which have been measured having a span up to 140 cm (55 in). They have the longest horns of all sheep, with the longest individual horn ever recorded measuring 1.9 m (6.2 ft) and weighing 60 lb (27 kg).O. a. polii's horns follow a coil pattern, with the tips pointed directly away horizontally from the head; in spite of this, the tips are rarely broken. The horns have long been a popular attraction for trophy hunters. They begin growing 15–20 days after the sheep are born, and their growth in length is most pronounced during the first year. Thickness growth is most noticeable during the first two years.
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Wikipedia