Wildlifeof India
Urial
Wild Cattle, Antelopes, Goats & Sheep
Photo: (c) Horatiu Stefanie, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Ovis vignei
Basic stats
Habitat
Montane areas up to about 4,500m
Range
Pamir, Hindu Kush and Himalaya; in India, Ladakh
Litter size
1 lamb, occasionally 2
Gestation period
About 5 months
Size
Male shoulder height 80–90cm; horns up to 100cm
The urial is a wild sheep of Central and South Asia, also known as arkar, shapo or shapu. It is native to montane areas in the Pamirs, Hindu Kush and Himalaya, up to about 4,500 m, from north-eastern Iran and Afghanistan to northern Pakistan and Ladakh in north-western India. An adult male stands 80–90 cm at the shoulder, and males' horns reach up to 100 cm (Wikipedia, general species account).
The Ladakh urial is found in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan and in Ladakh, where a 2018 survey estimated 686 animals. The mating season begins in November. Rams select four or five ewes, and after a gestation of about five months the ewes give birth, usually to a single lamb and less often to two, in April to June. The cached account gives no diet or behaviour detail (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Urial live in?
- Montane areas up to about 4,500m
- Where is the Urial found?
- Pamir, Hindu Kush and Himalaya; in India, Ladakh
- What is the litter size of the Urial?
- 1 lamb, occasionally 2
- How long is the gestation period of the Urial?
- About 5 months
- How big is the Urial?
- Male shoulder height 80–90cm; horns up to 100cm