Bharal or Blue sheep: Pseudois nayaur

The Bharal or the blue sheep is in structure and habits holds a place intermediates between sheep and goat. Its horns are rounded and smooth and curve backward over the neck with an average height of 58 to 61 Cms. The height of the Bharal at the shoulder is 90 cm and weighing about 55 to 70 Kgs. The Bharal has no face glands. Their position is however marked by a small bare patch of skin. In these characters the Bharal approaches the goat. But a Bharal ram is not bearded nor has he that unpleasant goaty order. The general color of the head and upper parts is brownish grey, suffused with slatey blue, browner in summer and more distinctly slatey grey in winter. The color in any season blends perfectly with blue shale and rock of the open hillsides where it live. The face and chest in old ram is black. A black stripe runs along the middle of each flank and down the front of the legs.

To find Bharal one must seek the higher altitudes that is 4880mt in summer and rarely below 3660mt in winter. They are found at levels between the tree- and snow line, where there is rich and abundant grass. They never enter scrub of any kind. In habits, as in structure Bharal are a mixture of goat and sheep. Like sheep they graze on open grassy slopes but like goats they climb well and do not hesitate to take precipitous cliffs. They feed and rest alternately during the day. In summer they live in flocks of 10 to 50 animals but some times as many as 200 may assemble. Their mating season is in September and Bharal will not cross with domestic sheep nor is it easy to tame.

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