Ovis ammon

The argali (Ovis ammon), also known as the mountain sheep, is a wild sheep native to the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains.

==Description== The name 'argali' is the Mongolian word for wild sheep. It is the largest species of wild sheep. Argali stand high at the shoulder and measure long from the head to the base of the tail. The female, or ewe is the smaller sex by a considerable margin, sometimes weighing less than half as much as the male, or ram. The ewes can weigh from and the rams typically from , with a maximum reported mass of . The Pamir argali (also called Marco Polo sheep, for they were first described by that traveler), O. a. polii, is the largest race on average, regularly measuring more than long without the tail, and is less sexually dimorphic in body mass than most other subspecies. The argali has relatively the shortest tail of any wild goat-antelope or sheep, with reported tail lengths of . thumb|left|Stuffed specimen at the National Museum of Nature and Science, [[Tokyo.]] The general coloration varies between each animal, from a light yellow to a reddish-brown to a dark grey-brown. Argali or nyan from the Himalayas are usually relatively dark, whereas those from Russian ranges are often relatively pale. In summertime, the coat is often lightly spotted with a salt-and-pepper pattern. The back is darker than the sides, which gradually lighten in color. The face, tail and the buttocks are yellowish-white. The male has a whitish neck ruff and a dorsal crest and is usually slightly darker in color than the female. Males have two large corkscrew shaped horns, some measuring in total length and weighing up to . Males use their horns for competing with one another. Females also carry horns, but they are much smaller, usually measuring less than in total length.