# Argali (*Ovis ammon*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/argali  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The argali (Ovis ammon) is a large mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Caprini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a terrestrial, cathemeral herbivore that lives in forest and shrubland habitats, with an adult body mass of 180 kg. Gestation lasts 170 days, with one litter per year and 1.2 young per litter; sexual maturity is reached at 1.7 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the argali as Near Threatened, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 160 kg – 180 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 15.9 years – 16.8 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, shrubland |
| Gestation | 150 days – 170 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.2 |
| Age at maturity | 13.2 months – 2.25 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Ovis
- species: *Ovis ammon* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Capra ammon*, *Ovis ammon ammon*, *Ovis ammon comosa*, *Ovis ammon typica*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the argali?

The argali is a large mammal in the family Bovidae and the genus Ovis, within the order Artiodactyla.

### How heavy is an argali?

The argali has a representative adult body mass of 180 kg.

### What does the argali eat?

The argali is a herbivore.

### What habitats does the argali live in?

The argali lives in forest and shrubland habitats and has a terrestrial lifestyle.

### Is the argali endangered?

No. The argali is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does an argali live?

The argali has a lifespan of 15.9 years, and our sources report values up to 16.8 years.

### How many young does an argali have?

The argali has 1.2 young per litter and one litter per year, after a gestation period of 170 days.

### Who named the argali and when?

The argali's scientific name, Ovis ammon, carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Argali (Ovis ammon). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/argali