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SHEEP
& GOATS:
Goats and sheep have possibly evolved from a common ancestor that also gave
size to the various oxen, antelopes and gazelles.
In the wild, they habit rough terrain and occur in moderate to large
herds. They are sturdy, agile
and sure-footed animals, quite wary of humans when compared to their
domestic counterparts.
TYPES
OF SHEEP:
1.Blue
Sheep [Bharal-Pseudois
Nayaur]:
The Bharal or blue sheep is not a
true sheep, as it possesses the characters of a goat as well.
It is found in the high mountains of Ladakh, Tibet and Sikkim and is
a chief prey animal for the snow leopard.
(1.1)
BEHAVIOUR:
In structure and habits the Bharal is
somewhere between a goat and a sheep. It
possesses the smooth rounded horns with no facial glands that are
characteristics of the goats. However,
a Bharal ran is not bearded nor does he have that unpleasant goaty smell.
The general color of the head and upper parts is brownish gray that
becomes browner in summer and more distinctly sleety gray in summer.
The fest and chest in old rams is black.
(1.2)
FAMILY:
In summer they live in flocks of
10-50 animals, but sometimes as many as 200 animals may assemble.
These mixed flocks of rams, rams, and ewes many contain well-grown
males, but the mature rams keep to themselves.
In September, they rejoin the group when the 'rutting'
(peak breeding season) season commences.
'rutting'
(peak breeding season) season commences.
(1.3)
FACTS:
Bharal habitats starts from 4,880m in summer and rarely below 3,600m in
winter. In the main Himalayan
range, they are found at levels between the free line and the snow line,
where there is rich and abundant grass.
They never enter scrub of any kind.
In the zanskar and Ladakh ranges, the slopes above the tree lines are
bare and occasional patches of coarse grass, moss, and dwarf shrubs.
2.
Nilgiri Tahr [Hernitragus
Hylocrius]:
This wild goat with a short crisp
coat, rounded hours and a single pair of teats, is a near relative of the
Himalayan Tahr. It in habits the forests of the Nilgiri to the Annamalais and
south along the Western Ghats at elevations from 1,220-1,830m.
(2.1)
BEHAVIOUR:
Nilgiri tahrs prefer stripe cliffs
and crags that rise above the forest level. This provides them with the necessary escape terrain in case
of any danger. Like all goats,
they associate in large flocks. They
graze early in the mornings and again in the late afternoons.
They are quick, sharp-sighted and sure-footed.
(2.2)
FAMILY:
Main-rutting season is not recorded although it is possibly during late
winter or early spring. Majority
of young ones are usually born at the commencement of the hot weather.
(2.3)
FACTS:
The general color of the animal is a dark yellowish brown the is paler on
the under surface. With age the males get a very day brown, almost black coat
with a distinctive light patch on the loins.
Such Males are Known as the ‘silver backed’ males.
SHEEP & GOATS:
- BEHAVIOUR:
Most of wild goats and sheep live in the high mountains. They can often be found near cliffs and ravines where
they take refuge from their predators.
They can be either solitary as in the case of adult rams, or in
the small groups of a few ewes, sub-adults and the lambs.
A dominance hierarchy exists in their society based largely on
size and age. This ensures
that only adult males get to breed with the females.
- FAMILY:
 The sense of smell males. Is
highly developed in the ‘bovids’.
The strong body odors given out by these animals are a meant of
communication by which members of a herd keep together.
The family also has various calls by which members of a heard
communicate with each other.
- FACTS:
Goats
and sheep belong to the family bovina.
Wild goat and sheep are similar in build, much like their
domestic cousins. These
sure-footed animals are at else even in the roughest terrains.
In addition, are ruminants with well-designed grinding teeth and
hollow horns? While the
goats have smooth, rounded and curved backward horns, sheep have almost
spiral horns. Goats are
bearded with no facial glands. Sheep
has scent glands between the hooves in all four feet. These are always absent in goat hind limbs.
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