* Threatened or Endangered
Transcaspian Urial *
: Ovis orientalis arkal
: Mammal
: Grasslands in northern India, Iran and nearby areas.
: Grass, shrubs, and sometimes grains.
: 3 to 4 feet tall / 3.5 to 5 feet long. Up to 200 lbs.
: Vulnerable
• The Transcaspian Urial, a wild sheep, is vulnerable due to habitat loss and poaching.
• These sheep have a strict social hierarchy that is based on the size of a male’s horns.
• Males fight for dominance by pushing against each other with their horns. Usually, the male with the biggest horns will become the leader.
• Due to these magnificent horns, Urials are prized by trophy hunters and poachers.
• Hunting and poaching, combined with competition for resources in habitats that are already low in resources, has caused their populations to decrease.