CreatureData

Snow sheep

Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz, 1829

Status not recordedmammals

The snow sheep (Ovis nivicola) is a species in the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla. Recorded adults weigh 69.1 kg to 119 kg and live up to 24 years.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the snow sheep

Weight
69.1 kg – 119 kg
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
20.6 years – 24 years
Diet
Herbivore
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
180 days
Young per litter or clutch
1
Age at maturity
23.6 months – 2.05 years
Litters or clutches a year
1
Active
Day and night (cathemeral)
Lifestyle
Terrestrial
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the snow sheep live?

Not recorded

Is the snow sheep endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the snow sheep classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderArtiodactyla
  5. familyBovidae
  6. genusOvis
  7. SpeciesOvis nivicola Eschscholtz, 1829
Other names and names in other languages (30)
  • Asian bighornEnglish
  • Asiatic bighornEnglish
  • Siberian bighornEnglish
  • Siberian bighorn sheepEnglish
  • SneeuskaapAfrikaans
  • خرف الثجArabic
  • ovce sněžnáCzech
  • SchneeschafGerman
  • Oveja de las nievesSpanish
  • LumilammasFinnish
  • Mouflon des neigersFrench
  • Pecora delle neviItalian
  • ユキヒツジJapanese
  • 시베리아빅혼Korean
  • SnøsauNorwegian Bokmål
  • KamtsjatkasneeuwschaapDutch
  • owca śnieżnaPolish
  • Carneiro-das-nevesPortuguese
  • ЧубукRussian
  • Снежна овца / Snežna ovcaSerbian
  • Asiatiskt snöfårSwedish
  • 雪山盤羊Chinese
  • خروف كبير القرون السيبيريArabic
  • siperianlammasFinnish
  • Muflone delle neviItalian
  • シベリアビッグホーンJapanese
  • ТолсторогRussian
  • Снежный баранRussian
  • ChubukRussian
  • Snezhnyi BaranRussian

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the snow sheep

Other species in the same genus Ovis.

NT, Near Threatened
Argali (Ovis ammon)

Argali

Ovis ammon

Bovidae

VU, Vulnerable
Urial (Ovis vignei)

Urial

Ovis vignei

Bovidae

Mouflon

Ovis gmelini

BovidaeNo free photo yet

Ewe

Ovis aries

BovidaeNo free photo yet

CompareSnow sheep vs ArgaliSnow sheep vs Bighorn sheepSnow sheep vs UrialSnow sheep vs Thin-horn

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the snow sheep?

An adult snow sheep weighs 69.1 kg – 119 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

How long does the snow sheep live?

The snow sheep has a recorded lifespan of 20.6 years – 24 years.

How long is the snow sheep pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 180 days.

What kind of animal is the snow sheep?

The snow sheep (Ovis nivicola) belongs to the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Snow sheep (Ovis nivicola). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/snow-sheep

MLA

“Snow sheep (Ovis nivicola).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/snow-sheep.

BibTeX
@misc{snow_sheep_2026,
  title = {Snow sheep (Ovis nivicola)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/snow-sheep},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}