Armenian mouflon Armenian mouflon The Armenian mouflon (, "haykakan muflon"; , "Qutch-e armani"), also known as the Armenian sheep, Armenian wild sheep, Armenian red sheep, or trans-Caucasian sheep ("Ovis orientalis gmelini") is an endangered subspecies of mouflon endemic to Iran, Armenia, and Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan). The Armenian mouflon was first described in 1840 by Edward Blyth, who equated it with the "Orientalische Schaaf" (Oriental sheep) described by Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin in 1774. "O. o. gmelini" is found in northwestern Iran. Armenian mouflons were transferred to Kabudan (Kaboodan) Island in Lake Urmia in 1895 and 1906 by one of the governors of Azerbaijan. A
Mouflon Opinion 2027 conserves the name of the wild species "Ovis orientalis" S. G. Gmelin 1774 in the case where the wild and domestic varieties are considered conspecific. Mouflon rams have a strict dominance hierarchy. Before mating season or "rut", which is from late autumn to early winter, rams try to create a dominance hierarchy to determine access to ewes (female mouflon) for mating. Mouflon rams fight one another to obtain dominance and win an opportunity to mate with females. Mouflons reach sexual maturity at the age of 2 to 4 years. Young rams need to obtain dominance before they get