Mouflon

Ovis Musimon

Native to the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Cyprus, the mouflon is a small, wild breed of sheep having large curving horns in the male. Adult males stand about 2-4 feet at the shoulder and weigh an average of 120 pounds. When a ram reaches 25 inches, it is considered a tropy-size animal.

A male mouflon sheep carries large, heart-shaped horns, with the tip of the horn curling out from the head and back toward the cheek.

Mouflon have a coarse, heavy coat, reddish-brown in color with a dark back-stripe. The males live in a strict dominance hierarchy based on age and size of horns. Dominance is reinforced by ritualized crashing of their horns together.

Sheep are among the first animals to be domesticated, and archaeological representations of the animals in Mesopotamian and Babylonian art seem to suggest that selection of desired characteristics may have begun over 6,000 years ago. It is widely believed that all existing domestic breeds originated from mouflon.

The animal uses its voice and warns other sheep of danger by baa-ing in different tones. Although they are endangered on their native islands, mouflon stocks have been successfully introduced throughout Europe and the United States.

The colors and markings of a mouflon ram in full winter coat are unparalleled, and unforgettable. Mouflon are mainly stalked, so they remain a very cautious game animal, and hunting this exotic demands high physical strength and skill.