Shapu Ovis vignei

Ladakhi; Sha, shapo (male), Shamo (female)
It is also called Urial or Oorin; the animal is smaller than the Ammon with a height of 90 cm at the shoulder and with only half of his weight. The animal is found over a wider area in the valley of Indus and Shyok. About three decades ago they were numerous along both sides of Indus between Spituk, below Leh but their numbers are also greatly depleted now. In summer coat, the Ladakh Urial is rufous grey or fawn, in winter a mixture of grey and brown. The adult ram wears a great black or grizzled ruff growing from either side of the chin, which meets below and extend down the throat. In older rams the ruff is grey or white in front passing into black behind. The horns are strongly wrinkled measuring about 50 to 70 cm and have a girth of about 25-cm at the base. They are set close together and curve round in a circular sweep. In Ladakh Urial the horns turn inwards at the tip, in Afghan race they tend to turn outwards and form an open spiral and in Punjab race the horns tend to form a circle.

They are distributed along Gilgit, Astor and Ladakh, eastward to Northern Tibet, the Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan. South Persia.
In Ladakh this wild sheep inhibits steep grassy hill slopes above forests. In Astor it keeps to open grassy mountain slopes at moderate elevations below the tree line. Its environment in the Punjab is rocky scrub covered hill and in Sindh and Baluchistan it is found in barren stony ranges. Though they avoid the precipitous cliffs, which are the home of wild goat, they get over the steepest hillsides with remarkable ease. In summer the eves and young rams live together in small herds, at this season the ram will be found living apart. In the Punjab the mating season is between September and October. In Ladakh and Astor the breeding season is late September young ones are born in summer. The period of gestation is not known it is believed to be between 4 to 6 months. One or two young ones are produced at a birth.

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