Mouflon

T

he Mouflon is a wild ovine mammal thought to have its origin in Corsica and/or Sardinia, and is considered to be the ancestor of the domestic sheep breeds.

This species is brownish in color and gets darker with age. The adult male mouflon exhibits a white spot on each side of the back. The species has clear sexual dimorphism. Only the male has circular horns, which initially develop in the posterior direction and then form a circle, sometimes a full circle . They can reach up to 1.25 meters in length and 0.70 meters in height, and weigh up to 160 kg. Although the normal female weighs 40-50 kg and the male 70-80 kg. They have a short, thick coat in winter, changing to a thinner coat in the spring.

The species has polygamous reproduction. The reproduction period occurs between October and December, the gestation lasts about 150 days and the females frequently give birth to two young. The reproduction happens in Spring because this is the period of greater food availability.

Being a herbivore by nature, the mouflon consumes everything that nature has to offer, such as leguminous and forage plants, wild fruits, even subsisting, in periods of food shortage, of simple bush and cistus. It shows a great appetite for fruits with higher sugar content.