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This sheep has a very limited range in China. It is generally accepted
as a separate species rather than just as subspecies of Pseudois
nayaur. This has further been proven recently by research showing
that it has a different number of chromosomes than the other blue
sheep of China. The primary morphological difference between blue
sheep and dwarf blue sheep is body size, with dwarf blue sheep weighing
approximately 50% less than blue sheep. The recognized distribution
areas are in Batang and Beiyu county, which are at the southeastern
edge of the Tibetan Plateau (upper Yangtze Gorge). According to a
population survey conducted by Wu et al.(1990) in Batang county,
the estimated population size of dwarf blue sheep is a total of 70-150
individuals. |
