Foreign names: Divlji Ovan ( Croatian ); Dalmatian Wild Sheep ( E ); Dalmatinisches Wildschaf ( G ); Carnero dalmatino ( Sp ); moutón de la Dalmatie ( F ).
Description: Shoulder height 28-32 inches; weight 80-120 pounds; females are extremely smaller.Very heavy woolly hair, mostly whitish, with some dark spots on skin and face.This endemic sheep species to the Dalmatian Islands off the coast of Croatia have been utilized as domestic animals in the 16th. and 17th. Centuries by peasants living on the islands and off the sea as fishermen. During a long drought period in the 18th Century the inhabitants left the islands in search of labor at the mainland. They left behind their livestock and their decaying houses. Since then these feral sheep have become totally wild and are extremely difficult to hunt on the shrub covered islands.
Behaviour: Gregarious. Females with young form year-round flocks; mature males have separate flocks, very old males are found usually by themselves. During the mating season individual males join the females after battling for dominance. Lambs, usually two, are born 5 months later. Mainly a grazer, but browses to an extent. Feeds at dusk and, specially during the hot summer months, rests during the day in intensive cover. A good runner. Alert and wary where hunted.
Habitat: Steep, shrub covered mountains on the islands off the Croatian coast, called the Dalmatian Islands.
Distribution: Dalmatian Sea, Islands, Croatia.
Status: The Dalmatian Wild Sheep have become so abundant that a culling programme was started by the Government some years ago. Due to the intervention of hunting associations, including the SCI Hrvatska Chapter ( Croatia ) the Government has accepted a hunting and conservation plan for this endemic species.
Hunting season: September, 1st till May, 31st.
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| HUNTER: |
COUNTRY: |
DATE TAKEN: |
HUNTING GROUND: |
TOTAL SCORE: |
GUIDE: |
| John N. Walker Jr. |
USA |
08/2010 |
Plavnik |
120 3/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Marcial G. Sequeira |
ESPANA |
11/2011 |
Plavnik |
117 2/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| John R. Monson |
USA |
03/2011 |
Dugi Otok |
116 0/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Damir Vrhovnik |
CROATIA |
12/2010 |
Plavnik |
113 6/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Phillip Ullmann |
GERMANY |
03/2010 |
Plavnik |
113 4/8 |
Hrvoje Bezjak |
| Josip Tomljanović |
CROATIA |
01/2010 |
Plavnik |
110 6/8 |
Hrvoje Bezjak |
| Dejan Tomić |
CROATIA |
09/2010 |
Plavnik |
110 6/8 |
Gregor Žic |
| Francisco Vizcaino |
MEXICO |
09/2010 |
Plavnik |
109 4/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Douglas R. Yajko |
USA |
10/2011 |
Plavnik |
106 7/8 |
Hrvoje Bezjak |
| Dubravko Tkalcic |
CROATIA |
10/2010 |
Plavnik |
106 7/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Lee Anderson |
USA |
03/2011 |
Plavnik |
104 1/8 |
Hrvoje Bezjak |
| Gregor Žic |
CROATIA |
01/2010 |
Plavnik |
101 7/8 |
Hrvoje Bezjak |
| Bela Hidvegi |
HUNGARY |
03/2012 |
Dugi otok |
101 6/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Norbert Ullmann |
GERMANY |
03/2010 |
Plavnik |
100 5/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Thomas Hammond |
USA |
11/2011 |
Dugi otok |
100 0/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Walter Page Mays Jr. |
USA |
09/2011 |
Plavnik |
99 0/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Denis Anderson |
USA |
12/2011 |
Dugi otok |
98 7/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Dams Jan J. Theresia |
BELGIUM |
12/2011 |
Plavnik |
98 6/8 |
Ante Zurac |
| Igor Ilić |
CROATIA |
10/2010 |
Plavnik |
98 5/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Craig Boddington |
USA |
12/2012 |
Dugi otok |
96 3/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Norbert Ullmann |
GERMANY |
03/2010 |
Plavnik |
95 3/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| David E. Tuttle |
USA |
04/2011 |
Dugi Otok |
94 2/8 |
Josip Tomljanović |
| Igor Ilić |
CROATIA |
10/2010 |
Plavnik |
92 2/8 |
Gregor Žic |