Animal Species Iran

 Iran

• Eurasiam Wild Boar

The most widespread and successful trophy hunting is night hunting during the full moon period. Carried out by walking to the boars against the wind in areas of green vegetation between March and May and in harvested wheat and barley fields from June to September and using tripods for shooting, this is one of the most enjoyable types of hunting. In the summer months around Antalya, a tourism region on the shores of the Mediterranean, hunting can be combined with a seaside holiday. At a large number of high quality establishments in the region daytime accommodation is provided together with a wonderful taste of night hunting. Again in the Mediterranean region, holidays on the 90´ to 120´ “gulet” yachts and on the beaches where the blue of the sea and the green of the forest meet can be combined with night hunting when the moon is full. For those who like to be face to face with nature, the upper regions of the rich hunting grounds of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean open their welcoming arms.

• Trans Caspian Urial

Shoulder height up to 39 inches (99 cm). Weight up to 200 pounds (91 kg). Females can weigh up to 100 pounds (45 kg).A large, bright-colored, very handsome urial. Adult rams have a white bib and a long, white neck ruff; immature males have a smaller, dark neck ruff. Upper parts are uniformly tawny-brown. Rump patch, muzzle, belly and lower legs are white, and there is a darker stripe separating belly and upper body. No saddle patch, but some males have a dark shoulder spot in winter coat. The horns are rather long and homonymous, growing in a tight circle or forming an open spiral. The frontal horn surface is flat, with sharp angles and distinct ridges, triangular in cross section. Females have short, straight horns.

• Armenian Sheep

(Male) Shoulder height 28-32 inches (71-81 cm). Weight 100-140 pounds (45-63 kg). Females are considerably smaller.A graceful sheep with relatively long, slender legs. General color is reddish-tan with a narrow, grayish-white saddle patch. Underparts, lower legs and muzzle are white. Chest is dark brown. There is a narrow brown flank band and brown markings on front of the upper legs. In winter, there is a short black ruff on the lower neck and brisket. No bib. Horns are supracervical, curving above and behind the neck. Females usually have small horns, but sometimes are hornless.

• Esfahan Sheep

In winter, males have a full-length black neck ruff extending to the brisket. There is no bib. Saddle patch, muzzle, chin, throat and lower part of legs are white. The horns appear to be of two types: Those from the Mooteh Wildlife Reserve, about 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Esfahan, are supracervical or perverted, which is to say they curve above and behind the neck as do those of the Armenian mouflon; those from the Tange-Sayad and Kolah-Gazi wildlife refuges, which are within 90 miles (145 km) southwest and southeast, respectively, of Esfahan are cervical, with the tips growing inward toward the neck. The frontal-orbital horn edge is rounded, the frontal-nuchal edge is sharp. Females are similar in appearance to Armenian mouflon females. Some have very small horns, but most appear to be hornless.

• Kerman Sheep

The Kerman sheep is believed to be a hybrid between the Laristan mouflon (O. g. laristanica) and the Blanford urial (O. v. blanfordi), which occurs naturally in the Kerman region of southeastern Iran. It has 54 or 55 chromosomes and produces fertile offspring. Its winter coat is darker than that of the Laristan mouflon, and there is a white saddle patch but no bib. A black neck ruff is present, extending the full length of the neck in some animals but limited to just the lower half in others. The horns are homonymous, showing a flat frontal surface with sharp corners.

• Laristan Sheep

The Laristan mouflon has been said to be the smallest of the wild sheep, but Valdez states that this is not so, that adult rams can measure as much as 32 inches (81 cm) at the shoulder and weigh up to 140 pounds (64 kg). This is a thin-haired desert race with a short black ruff on the lower neck and breast. There is no bib. The summer coat is straw-brown, turning darker brown with a narrow white saddle patch in winter. (Nasonov, in his 1909 description, indicated a dark shoulder band in the winter coat; however, few males actually have such a marking.) The horns are homonymous and have a flat frontal surface with sharp edges. Females have very small horns up to ten inches (25 cm) in length and 4-1/2 inches (11 cm) in circumference.

• Red Sheep

Shoulder height 29-32 inches (74-81 cm). Weight averages 110 pounds (50 kg), sometimes as much as 150 pounds (68 kg).The red sheep is believed to be a hybrid between the Armenian mouflon (O. g. gmelini) and the Transcaspian urial (O. v. arkal) that occurs naturally in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran and the Kavir Desert of north-central Iran. Its offspring are fertile. As a hybrid, its characteristics will vary. The chromosome number varies with the individual animal, ranging from 54 to 58 in Alborz specimens and from 54 to 55 in Kavir specimens. Saddle patch and bib may be present or not, and neck ruff and horn configuration are variable. In the western part of its range, where it blends with the pure Armenian mouflon, the horns are predominantly supracervical, curving above and behind the neck, and there is usually a saddle patch but no bib. In the east, where it blends with the transcaspian urial, the horns tend to be homonymous and there usually is a white bib but no saddle patch. In central parts of its range both homonymous and supracervical horns can be seen, as well as intermediate types. General color is light brown or tan, with individuals varying from very light grayish-brown to light reddish-brown. (The “red” in its common name is misleading, because other types of sheep may actually have redder coats.) Underparts are white.

• Shiraz Sheep

Shiraz mouflon is found in the reserves near the city of Shiraz, and south and east to the cities of Jahrom and Darab.  There is a rather dramatic difference between the Esfahan mouflon and the Shiraz mouflon.  By the same token, there is a rather dramatic difference between the Laristan mouflon and the Shiraz mouflon.  Generally the horns of the Esfahan mouflon more resemble the horn configuration of the Armenian mouflon found to its north.  The horns of the Shiraz mouflon more resemble the horn configuration of the Laristan mouflon found to its south.  Over time, the Shiraz and Esfahan mouflons seem to have developed their own distinct characteristics and warrant separate trophy classifications.

• Arak Sheep
• Desert Ibex
• Bezoar Ibex

The bezoar is a handsome animal, its blackish-brown markings contrasting with the lighter body color. Summer coat is reddish-brown, turning brownish-gray in winter, with old males ashy-gray. Underparts and back of legs are white. The dark blackish-brown areas include the face, throat, chest, dorsal stripe, shoulder stripes, flank stripes, front of legs, and tail. The chin beard is long and black and, in old males, as wide as the chin. Callouses develop on the knees and sometimes on the chest. Males have large, laterally compressed, scimitar-shaped horns. The front edge is sharp, forming a keel for some distance, above which are bold, sharp-edged, widely separated knobs. Females grow short, slender horns and do not have beard. They are tawny-brown at all seasons, with a dark stripe from eye to muzzle.