A group of Marco Polo sheep rams (Ovis ammon polii) relax on a bare patch on a snowy slope in the eastern Pamir Mountains, Gorno

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A group of Marco Polo sheep rams (Ovis ammon polii) relax on a bare patch on a snowy slope in the eastern Pamir Mountains (in the Murghab hunting concession), Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Region, Tajikistan. The Marco Polo sheep, a threatened species of argali inhabit the uplands and alpine valleys of the Pamirs, a territory that spans four countries. They are the largest and most magnificent of all wild sheep, with curling horns reaching up to 6 feet long and are a sought after trophy for big game hunters, who pay up to $40,000 to shoot a trophy size ram. The Murghab Hunting concession has perhaps the largest concentration of Marco Polo sheep in Tajikistan.

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Size: 5609px × 3761px
Location: Gorno Badakshan Tajikistan
Photo credit: © Beth Wald / Aurora Photos / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: 6, 10, ammon, animals, argali, autonomous, badakshan, concession, day, gorno, herd, hunting, journalismcollection, marco, mountains, murghab, outdoors, ovis, pamir, polii, polo, region, sheep, tajikistan, wild, wildlife, winter