Bharal or Blue Sheep

May 13th, 2010  | Comments: none
Posted in: Fauna, Nature

Bharal or blue sheep found in the Nepal Himalaya and are common pray for snow leopards

The Bharal (Pseudois nayaur), also known as the Blue Sheep, is a high mountain sheep that is the primary prey of Snow Leopards. They have short coats and legs with robust chests and shoulder, and can weigh up to 75kg. Despite their cold weather adaptations, they thrive in all extremes, from hot deserts to cold mountains.

Diet, Ecology & Behaviour

The Bharal feeds mostly on grasses and lichen. During the summer season they mostly spend their time in small groups but gather in valleys during winter seasons. They are usually found anywhere from 3,000 to 5,500m and will not enter forests because of their lack of camouflage. The blue sheen to their coats is important to their survival, by allowing them to “melt” against the dark blue rocks of the Himalayas. When approached they will often freeze in order as they are hard to spot when immobile. Once, they are noticed they will run up hills before freezing against the mountains again. They are also known to give alarm calls and stay near sharp cliffs that are inaccessible to predators.

Cultural Significance

Blue Sheep are often kept far from settlements because of their tendency to eat crops, but hunting and predations usually keep this from being a problem. In many Himalayan communities, bharals are considered trophy kills because they live in difficult and remote regions at high altitudes. There are programs that offer hunters a chance to hunt Bharals in the remote regions of Nepal. Because of Bharal’s strong populations numbers, the ecological impact this has is negligible.

Tags: sheep, snow leopard