Animals in autumn – how they prepare for winter: the mouflon

Our Nature Watch guide Susi explains how mouflons cope with the harsh living conditions.

The European mouflon was originally found only on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, but can now be found in many parts of Europe, including here in the Halltal.

Mouflons have a body length of approximately 120 cm and a shoulder height of approximately 90 cm. Ewes (females) weigh between 25 and 40 kg, whilst rams (males) weigh between 35 and 55 kg. They have a smooth coat. In summer, the ewes are brownish and the rams are fox-red-brown with a light saddle patch; in winter, both are slightly darker. The rams have spiral-shaped horns that can grow up to 80 cm in length.

Habitat and threats
They prefer to live in deciduous and mixed woodland areas, favouring dry and stony ground (to maintain their hooves). If the ground is too damp, hoof diseases can easily develop, some of which can even be fatal. The greatest danger to mouflons in our regions is harsh winters; for lambs, eagles also pose a threat. When eagles are circling overhead, the ewes seek out terrain offering plenty of cover. When danger threatens, a whistling sound can be heard, accompanied by the stamping of their forelegs.

Mouflons usually live in small flocks led by an older ewe. Outside the rutting season, rams form their own groups. During the rutting season, the rams fight over the ewes – using their coiled horns to drive off their rivals. The rutting season is in October/November; the gestation period lasts approximately five months, so lambing takes place in March/April. One or two lambs are born, which are suckled for about half a year. Mouflons are herbivores (plant-eaters) and have a very broad diet. In addition to herbs, grass, crops and seeds, they also strip the bark from forest trees, thereby preventing the growth of tree vegetation.

Distinguishing features
Mouflon have a keen sense of sight and, compared to other wild animals that rely primarily on their sense of smell, can recognise a human from a distance of over 800 metres. At around one month of age, the ram lamb’s snail-like hollow horns begin to grow. These sit on frontal protuberances and grow by a few centimetres each year. Growth stops during the winter months, but the horns are not shed. The animal’s age can therefore be determined by counting the annual rings on the horns.

Like all wild animals in our regions, mouflons should not be disturbed by humans during the cold season. Mouflons do, however, require human attention in winter: timely winter feeding and sufficient salt licks are very important for mouflons during the winter! They are also easy to spot at this time of year. Otherwise, mouflons are true “all-rounders”, capable of surviving well in our latitudes even in winter without any special adaptation strategies.

Would you like to experience these animals in the wild for yourselves? Guided Nature Watch walks – on snowshoes or on foot – offer you plenty of opportunities to do so. More information and booking here

Photo credits: (c)Alpenpark Karwendel