Habitat and Behaviour Preferred habitats include hill and mountain
country, but avoiding steep slopes and cliffs, and adjoining plains. Wild
Sheep are principally grazers, taking grasses and herbaceous plants,
but they do browse occasionally. They live in flocks of varying sizes.
Outside the breeding season, rams run in bachelor herds. The rut
occurs mainly in the autumn and early winter, with births taking place
in the following spring. The number of lambs per ewe varies from one
to three.
Distribution and Status See opposite.
Conservation Areas Uromiyeh Lake NP, Khogir NP, Sorkheh Hesar
NP, Gamishlo WR, Kolahgazy WR, Khabr-va-Rochon WR, Bamou NP,
Tandoreh NP (Iran); Konya-Bozdag R, Van-Özalp PBA (Turkey).
CAMELS
DROMEDARY Camelus dromedaries
Identification The Dromedary or One-humped Camel is present in
this guide because it occurs across much of the region – it is frequently
seen roaming and feral populations exist. No one is sure when it
became extinct as a truly wild animal, but it is estimated that this
happened between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago. The species probably
originated in the Arabian Peninsula. Its size, long neck and legs, and the
large hump on its back make it unmistakable. It varies greatly in colour,
but most individuals are shades of brown or grey-brown.
Size Shoulder height 1.8–2.3 m.
Weight 3 00–690 kg.