Snow sheep

The Snow sheep (Ovis nivicola), or Siberian bighorn sheep, is a species of sheep from the mountainous areas in the northeast of Siberia. One subspecies, the Putorana snow sheep (Ovis nivicola borealis) lives isolated from the other forms in the Putoran Mountains. The snow sheep is most closely related to the North American bighorn sheep and Dall's sheep.

Subspecies

Taxonomy and genetics

Ovis nivicola appeared about 600,000 years ago. and is closely related to the North American bighorn sheep and Dall's sheep.

These wild sheep crossed the Bering land bridge from Siberia into Alaska during the Pleistocene (about 750,000 years ago) the sheep

diverged into three extant species.

References