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Fig 1
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© Alan Morrison |
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Fig 2
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© Alan Morrison |
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Order : CETARTIODACTYLA
Family : Bovidae
Species : Pseudois nayaur
Shoulder
Height : up to 90 cm
Head-body Length : up to 165 cm
Tail : up to 20 cm
Weight : up to 70 kg
The Bharal, or Blue Sheep,
occurs in montane habitats of the mid-Himalayas, between 2500 and
~6000 metres elevation. Its range stretches from northern Pakistan eastwards
to northernmost Myanmar, the latter being the only location in
Southeast Asia where it is known to occur (Rabinowitz & Saw, 1998).
This medium-sized caprine is light brownish grey above, sometimes with a
bluish tint, and whitish below. There is a narrow, dark line along the flank
which clearly demarcates the dorsal fur from the ventral fur. There is dark
fur on the chest and front parts of the legs. The rear part of each leg is
pale, as are the front knees.
Males bear impressive thick curved horns, which are relatively smooth, but
with ridges on top. Females have shorter horns.
They typically occur well above the treeline, where they subsist on rough
grasses and other sparse vegetation, including mosses and lichen. Rabinowitz
& Saw (1998) reported herds of
up to 30 in northern Myanmar, based on a report by a local hunter, but most
herds are probably less than 10 individuals. IUCN (Harris, 2014) state that "small groups (e.g. 300 individuals) have been
observed": we assume this to be a typo.
The Bharal is an important prey item for
the Snow Leopard.
In some parts of its range this species may be locally common and, as a
consequence of the extreme topography where it lives, is under little
hunting pressure or competition from domestic livestock. In northern Myanmar
it is considered to be rare, and its numbers are probably suppressed due to
hunting pressure.
In their 2014 assessment, IUCN (Harris, 2014)listed the Bharal as occurring in the following territories:
Bhutan, China (Gansu, Ningxia-Inner Mongolia border, Qinghai, Sichuan,
Tibet, southeastern Xinjiang, and northern Yunnan), northern India, northern
Myanmar, Nepal, and northern Pakistan.
Fig 1 :
A lone male
on a sparsely vegetated, rocky ridge.
Fig 2 :
A male and
female pair in a rocky gully, feeding on small clumps of dried grass.
All photos from Ladakh, northern India. Photos thanks to Alan
Morrison.
References :
Francis, C.M. 2019. A Field Guide to the Mammals of South-east Asia. Second
Edition. New Holland. 416 pp.
Harris, R.B. 2014. Pseudois nayaur. The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species 2014: e.T61513537A64313015.
Rabinowitz, A., & Saw, T. K. (1998). Status of selected mammal species
in North Myanmar. Oryx, 32(3), 201-208. |