Urial
Ovis vignei Blyth, 1841
The urial (Ovis vignei), also called the urial sheep or Ladakh urial, is a mammal in the family Bovidae and the genus Ovis. It belongs to the order Artiodactyla, the subfamily Antilopinae and the tribe Caprini, and its scientific name was given by Blyth, 1841.
Quick facts about the urial
The urial is a living species, and the IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Vulnerable, a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the urial
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the urial live?
Not recorded
What is the urial?
The urial ( OOR-ee-əl; Ovis vignei), also known as arkars, shapo, or shapu, is a wild sheep native to Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
From the Wikipedia article “Urial” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Urial&oldid=1375610039), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the urial endangered?
The urial is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the urial classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderArtiodactyla
- familyBovidae
- genusOvis
- SpeciesOvis vignei Blyth, 1841
Synonyms Ovis aries vignei, Ovis vignei vignei
Other names and names in other languages (20)
- Ladakh urialEnglish
- Urial sheepEnglish
- OerialAfrikaans
- أروية أوريالArabic
- ضأن أحمر ملتحيArabic
- ÚrialCatalan
- UrialfårDanish
- SteppenschafGerman
- Πρόβατο ΟύριαλGreek
- UrielBasque
- persianlammasFinnish
- כבש אוריאלHebrew
- ウリアルJapanese
- Үстірт арқарыKazakh
- 우리알Korean
- 우리알산양Korean
- SteppesauNorwegian Bokmål
- urial hinduskiPolish
- УриалRussian
- УріалUkrainian
Relatives of the urial
Other species in the same genus Ovis.
Argali
Ovis ammon
Bighorn sheep
Ovis canadensis
Thin-horn
Ovis dalli
Snow sheep
Ovis nivicola
Mouflon
Ovis gmelini
Ewe
Ovis aries
CompareUrial vs ArgaliUrial vs Bighorn sheepUrial vs Thin-hornUrial vs Snow sheep
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the urial?
The urial is a mammal in the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla, and belongs to the tribe Caprini.
What is the scientific name of the urial?
The scientific name of the urial is Ovis vignei, placing it in the genus Ovis.
Who named the urial and when?
The urial was named by Blyth, 1841.
Is the urial endangered?
The urial is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
What are other names for the urial?
The urial is also called the urial sheep or the Ladakh urial.
Is the urial extinct?
No, the urial is a living species according to the Catalogue of Life.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · 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 · 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). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Urial (Ovis vignei). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/urial
“Urial (Ovis vignei).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/urial.
@misc{urial_2026,
title = {Urial (Ovis vignei)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/urial},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}