Blue Sheep

Blue sheep are neither blue nor are they really sheep. Let that sink in. The morphological, behavioral and molecular analysis have shown that these gray to pale brown sheep looking animals are actually more closely related to goats. And although some sheep around Pakistan and India have a bluish tint they are not entirely blue. However, the behavior of these guys shows a mixture of goatlike and sheeplike patterns. Blue sheep live in groups, in treeless slopes, alpine meadows, and shrub zones above the timberline on relatively gentle hillsides with grasses and sedges and near cliffs (which serve as useful routes of escape from predators). They seldom move farther than 200 meters (600 feet) from a rocky retreat. This is a sheeplike terrain preference, as goats tend to stay on steep slopes and rocky cliffs. They are great climbers by the way. Blue sheep population has been heavily affected by hunting.