Bharal

{{Short description|Species of wild sheep native to the Himalayas}} {{redirect|Blue sheep|the pub|Blue Sheep}} {{Redirect|Naur|the person|Peter Naur}} {{Speciesbox | image = Bharal - Shreeram M V - Kibber, Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India.jpg | image_caption = Male bharal in Spiti Valley | image2 = Bharal_Female_from_North_Sikkim_India_16.10.2019.jpg | image2_caption = Female bharal in North Sikkim | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Harris, R.B. |year=2014 |title=''Pseudois nayaur'' |article-number=e.T61513537A64313015 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T61513537A64313015.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | status2 = CITES_A3 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref>{{cite Species+ |id=65584 |title=''Pseudois nayaur'' (Hodgson, 1833) |access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref> | genus = Pseudois | parent_authority = Hodgson, 1846 | species = nayaur | authority = (Hodgson, 1833) | synonyms = ''Pseudois schaeferi'' Haltenorth, 1963 ''Pseudois nayaur schaeferi'' {{collapsible list|bullets = true | title = Species synonymy<ref name="Wang">{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=X.M. |last2=Hoffmann |first2=R.S. |year=1987 |title=''Pseudois nayaur'' and ''Pseudois schaeferi'' |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=278 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.2307/3503993 |jstor=3503993|doi-access=free }}</ref> | ''Ovis nayaur'' (Hodgson, 1833) | ''Ovis nahoor'' (Hodgson, 1835) | ''Ovis burrhel'' (Blyth, 1840) | ''Ovis nahura'' (J.E. Gray, 1840) | ''Ovis barhal'' (Hodgson, 1846) | ''Ovis burhel'' (J.E. Gray, 1833) }} | range_map = Distribution map of Blue sheep (Bharal).png | range_map_caption = Distribution of blue sheep; dwarf blue sheep range in darker blue }}

The '''bharal''' ('''''Pseudois nayaur'''''), also called the '''blue sheep''', is a caprine native to the high Himalayas. It inhabits the Himalayan alpine meadows and rocky slopes across Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, typically at altitudes of {{cvt|2,200–5,500|m}}.

The bharal is the only member of its genus ''Pseudois'' and is genetically closer to goats (''Capra'') than sheep (''Ovis''). Two main subspecies are recognized: the Himalayan blue sheep (''P. n. nayaur'') and the Chinese blue sheep (''P. n. szechuanensis''), with recent studies suggesting the Helanshan blue sheep may be a distinct subspecies. The dwarf blue sheep was once considered a separate species but is now classified as a variant of the Chinese blue sheep.

The bharal is a medium-sized caprine, measuring {{cvt|115–165|cm}} in length, and weighing {{cvt|35–75|kg}}. It has a slate-grey fur with white underparts. Both sexes have horns, with the males having larger curved horns measuring up to {{cvt|80|cm}}. The Helanshan variant is smaller in size, with less pronounced sexual dimorphism and straighter horns.

The bharal is mainly a grazer, feeding on grasses, but also browses shrubs when food is scarce. It relies on camouflage and shelter under the cliffs to evade predators. Rutting occurs from late November to mid-January, with males usually engaging in various maneuvers to mate. Though it is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, it face threats from poaching and competition with livestock, but these impacts are limited due to their often isolated and rugged habitats.

== Etymology == ''Bharal'' is the common name of the sheep in Hindi, and it is called "blue sheep" in English due to the bluish tint of its fur. The genus name ''Pseudois'' is a combination of Greek words ''pseudes'' and ''ois'' meaning "false" and "sheep", respectively. The species name ''nayaur'' appears to come from the Nepali word ''nahur'', a local name for the species.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Damm, Gerhard R. |author2=Franco, Nicolás |year=2014 |title=The CIC Caprinae Atlas of the World : Volume I |chapter=Chapter six: Bharal |publisher=CIC International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation and Rowland Ward Publications |location=Budakeszi, Hungary and Johannesburg, South Africa |isbn=978-0-992-18705-7}}</ref> Its native names include ''yanyang'' in Mandarin; ''bharal'', ''barhal'', ''bharar'', and ''bharut'' in Hindi; ''na'' or ''sna'' in Tibetan and Ladakhi; ''nabo'' in Spitian; and ''na'' or ''gnao'' in Bhutanese.<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Lydekker|author-link=Richard Lydekker|year=1900|title=The great and small game of India, Burma and Tibet|page=93|publisher=Merrill & Baker}}</ref>

==Taxonomy and evolution== thumb|left|The dwarf blue sheep was formerly thought to be a distinct species of the bharal

The bharal is the only member of the genus ''Pseudois''.<ref name="Taxon">{{cite mdd|title=''Pseudois nayaur'' (Hodgson, 1833)|id=1006211|access-date=28 August 2021}}</ref> Mitochondrial DNA analysis suggested that the bharal is closely related to the goats (''Capra'') of the Caprinae sub-family rather than domestic sheep (''Ovis'').<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Pere |last1=Bover |first2=Bastien |last2=Llamas |first3=Kieren J. |last3=Mitchell |first4=Vicki A. |last4=Thomson |first5=Josep Antoni |last5=Alcover |first6=Carles |last6=Lalueza-Fox |first7=Alan |last7=Cooper |first8=Joan |last8=Pons |title=Unraveling the phylogenetic relationships of the extinct bovid ''Myotragus balearicus'' Bate 1909 from the Balearic Islands |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |volume=215 |year=2019 |pages=185–195 |issn=0277-3791 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.05.005 |bibcode=2019QSRv..215..185B |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379118306929|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Two subspecies of the bharal have been recognised: the Chinese blue sheep (''P. n. szechuanensis'') and the Himalayan blue sheep (''P. n. nayaur'').<ref name="Castello">{{cite book |title=Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives |first=José R. |last=Castelló |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-400-88065-2|publisher=Princeton University Press |page=315}}</ref> Recent genetic studies suggest that the Helanshan blue sheep, found in the Helan Mountains may be a distinct subspecies.<ref name="One">{{cite web |url=https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/helanshan-montane-conifer-forests/ |title=Helanshan Montane Conifer Forests |work=One Earth |access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref>

The dwarf blue sheep, endemic to Sichuan-Tibet in China was formerly described as a separate species (''Pseudois schaeferi''), and later as a subspecies of ''P. nayaur'' (''P. n. schaeferi'').<ref name="Castello"/> However, a 2012 genetic analysis of these sheep found no indication that it was either a distinct species or subspecies, instead finding them to be a morphologically distinct variant of the Chinese blue sheep (''P. n. szechuanensis''). This led to the reclassification of it to be conspecific with ''P. nayaur''.<ref name="Genetica">{{cite journal |last1=Tan |first1=Shuai |last2=Zou |first2=Dandan |last3=Tang |first3=Lei |last4=Wang |first4=Gaochao |last5=Peng |first5=Quekun |last6=Zeng |first6=Bo |last7=Zhang |first7=Chen |last8=Zou |first8=Fangdong |date=1 June 2012 |title=Molecular evidence for the subspecific differentiation of blue sheep (''Pseudois nayaur'') and polyphyletic origin of dwarf blue sheep (''Pseudois schaeferi'') |journal=Genetica |volume=140 |issue=4 |pages=159–167 |doi=10.1007/s10709-012-9667-4 |pmid=22821360 |s2cid=17673293 |issn=1573-6857}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn|author=Huffman, B. |author2= Harris, R. |name-list-style=amp |year=2014|title= ''Pseudois nayaur'' ssp. ''schaeferi'' |article-number= e.T18535A64313668 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T18535A64313668.en |access-date=19 January 2024}}</ref>

==Description== thumb|left|Two pairs of bharals in Nepal

The bharal is a medium-sized caprid measuring {{cvt|115|to|165|cm}} long along the head-and-body, with {{cvt|10|to|20|cm}}-long tail. It stands {{cvt|69|to|91|cm}} high at the shoulder, and weighs around {{cvt|35|to|75|kg}}. Males are slightly larger than females. It has a dense fur that is slate grey in colour, sometimes with a bluish sheen. The underparts and backs of the legs are white, while the chest and front of the legs are black. A charcoal-colored stripe separates the grey back and white belly. The ears are small, with a dark bridge of the nose. Horns are found in both sexes and consist of shallow ridges on the upper surface. Males have larger horns, which diverge from each other moving upwards, before turning sideways and curving backwards towards the edges. They may grow to a length of {{cvt|80|cm}}. In females, the horns are much shorter and straighter, growing up to {{cvt|20|cm}} long.<ref name="UU">{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Pseudois_nayaur.html |title=Bharal, Himalayan blue sheep |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406014020/http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Pseudois_nayaur.html |archive-date=6 April 2015 |work=Ultimate Ungulate |access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1=Smith, A. T. |editor2=Xie, Y. |year=2008 |title=A Guide to the Mammals of China |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, Oxfordshire |isbn=0-691-09984-7}}</ref>

The dwarf blue sheep differs from the other members of the bharal family primarily in size, with adult males weighing around {{cvt|35|kg}}, and with a less differentiated sexual dimorphism. The females are similar in size to its relatives. Its coat is steely grey with a silvery sheen, with darker general colouration than the other bharals, and the horns of the male are smaller, thinner and more upright, with no inward curl.<ref name="Genetica"/>

== Distribution and habitat == [[File:Fock of Bharal sheep grazing.jpg|thumb|left|Herd of bharals in Ladakh]]

The bharal occurs in the Himalayan region in Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and in China and Myanmar.<ref name=iucn/> The Himalayan bharal occurs in elevations of {{cvt|2200-5500|m}} in the alpine meadows, and rocky slopes of the Himalayas.<ref name=iucn/><ref name="Castello"/> The Chinese bharal occurs in the Sichuan region of China. It occupies gentle mountain slopes, covered with grasses and ridges, at an altitude of {{cvt|3000-5500|m}}.<ref name="Castello"/> The dwarf blue sheep inhabit low, arid, grassy slopes of the upper Yangtze gorge in Batang County of the Sichuan Province, and a small part of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China.<ref name="Genetica"/> They occupy lower altitudes of {{cvt|2600-3200|m}}, and are separated from the Chinese Baral population in Sichuan by thick scrub forest.<ref name="Castello"/> The Helanshan blue sheep occur only in the montane forests of the Helan range in the border regions of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia.<ref name="One"/>

==Behaviour and ecology== thumb|A juvenile bharal

The bharal is active throughout the day, alternating between feeding and resting on the grassy mountain slopes. Due to its excellent camouflage and the absence of cover in its environment, it often remains motionless when approached. Once it has been noticed, however, it may scamper up to the precipitous cliffs, where it once again freezes, using camouflage to blend into the rock face. Population densities in Nepal were found to be 0.9–2.7 animals per km2, increasing to a maximum of 10 animals in the winter, as herds congregate in valleys.<ref name= UU/> The bharal is mainly a grazer, but during times of scarcity of grass, they switch to browsing, eating forbs and shrubs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Suryawanshi |first=K. |author2=Bhatnagar, Y.V. |author3=Mishra, C. |title=Why Should a Grazer Browse? Livestock impact on winter resource use by bharal ''Pseudois nayaur'' |pmid=19784849 |journal=Oecologia |year=2010 |volume=162 |issue=2 |pages=453–462 |doi=10.1007/s00442-009-1467-x|bibcode=2010Oecol.162..453S |s2cid=1486413}}</ref> As there is a high degree of diet overlap between common livestock and the bharals in regions where they occur together, it results in resource competition and a decline in the bharal density.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00885.x |year=2004 |title=Competition between domestic livestock and wild bharal ''Pseudois nayaur'' in the Indian Trans-Himalaya |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=41 |pages=344–354 |last1=Mishra |first1=C. |last2=Van Wieren |first2=S. E. |last3=Ketner |first3=Pieter |last4=Heitkonig |first4=Ignas M. A. |last5=Prins |first5=Herbert H. T. |issue=2 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2004JApEc..41..344M}}</ref> The bharal is the favored prey of the snow leopard where their ranges overlap, and is also hunted by Himalayan wolf, and leopard, with a few lambs falling prey to foxes or eagles.<ref name="UU"/>

The rutting of the bharal starts towards late November and continues until mid-January. During the rut, the male bharals use multiple strategies for mating, such as tending, blocking, and coursing.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lovari |first=Sandro |author2=Som Ale |title=Are there multiple mating strategies in the blue sheep? |pmid=11255000 |journal=Behavioural Processes |year=2001 |volume=53 |pages=131–135 |doi=10.1016/S0376-6357(00)00134-0 |issue=1–2 |s2cid=7587862}}</ref>

==Threats and conservation == The bharal is categorised as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The population faces some threats including poaching for meat and competition with livestock. However, poaching is rare due to its habitat in mountainous terrain, and similarly, livestock do not generally frequent the mountainous regions where the Bharals occur, and even if they do coexist, no notable detrimental effect on the bharal population has been documented.<ref name=iucn/>

==See also== * {{anl|Barbary sheep}} * {{anl|Nilgiri tahr}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite journal |doi=10.1017/S0952836903004394 |title=Habitat segregation between sympatric Tibetan argali ''Ovis ammon hodgsoni'' and blue sheep ''Pseudois nayaur'' in the Indian Trans-Himalaya |year=2004 |last1=Namgail |first1=T. |last2=Fox |first2=J. L. |last3=Bhatnagar |first3=Y. V. |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=262 |pages=57–63 |s2cid=59067250}} * Namgail, T., van Wieren, S.E., Mishra, C. & Prins, H.H.T. (2010). Multi-spatial co-distribution of the endangered Ladakh urial and blue sheep in the arid Trans-Himalayan Mountains. Journal of Arid Environments, 74: 1162–1169. * Namgail, T., Mishra, C., de Jong, C. B., van Wieren, S.E. & Prins, H.H.T. (2009). Effects of herbivore species richness on blue sheep niche dynamics and distribution in the Indian Trans-Himalaya. Diversity and Distributions 15: 940–947. * {{cite thesis |url=https://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/3567/MPhil_Thesis.pdf |hdl=10535/3567 |title=Habitat selection and ecological separation between sympatric Tibetan argali and blue sheep in northern India |last1=Namgail |first1=T. |date=2001 |publisher=University of Tromso |type=Master of Science}} * {{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/215651350|title=Winter Habitat Partitioning between Asiatic Ibex and Blue Sheep in Ladakh, Northern India |last1=Namgail|first1=T. |journal=Journal of Mountain Ecology|date=2006 |pages=7–13 |volume=8 |s2cid=54699112}} * {{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232015457 |jstor=44521948 |title=Wild sheep and livestock in Nepal Trans-Himalaya: Coexistence or competition? |last1=Shrestha |first1=R. |last2=Wegge |first2=P. |journal=Environmental Conservation |year=2008 |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=125–136 |doi=10.1017/S0376892908004724 |bibcode=2008EnvCo..35..125S |s2cid=58913300}} * {{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224953496 |title=Habitat relationships between wild and domestic ungulates in Nepalese Trans-Himalaya |journal=Journal of Arid Environments |issue=6 |pages=914–925 |date=2008 |doi=10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.12.002 |last1=Shrestha |first1=R. |last2=Wegge |first2=P. |volume=72 |bibcode=2008JArEn..72..914S}} * Shrestha, R., Wegge, P. & Koirala, R. A. (2005). Summer diets of wild and domestic ungulates in Nepal Himalaya. Journal of Zoology (London), 266: 111 – 119.

==External links== *{{Commons-inline}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150406014020/http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Pseudois_nayaur.html Photos and further information] * [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Pseudois_nayaur.html Bharal] at ''Animal Diversity Web''

Category:Caprinae Category:Mammals described in 1833 Category:Mammals of Bhutan Category:Mammals of China Category:Mammals of India Category:Mammals of Myanmar Category:Mammals of Nepal Category:Mammals of Pakistan Category:Mammals of Tibet Category:Fauna of the Himalayas Category:Taxa named by Brian Houghton Hodgson