Despite the significance of descriptive studies in wildlife management, there have been limited investigations on the ecology of large mammals in Iran. This study aimed to examine the autecology of two species, wild goat (Capra aegagrus) and mouflon wild sheep (Ovis gmelini), over the course of one year, from summer 2019 to summer 2020, in the Tang-e Sayad protected area of Iran. The study recorded various factors, including herd size, sex-age composition, activities such as grazing and resting, and habitat characteristics, across five distinct biological seasons. Observations were made during daylight hours from designated observation points. The mating season exhibited the largest average herd size for both mouflon and wild goats, with 76 and 53 individuals, respectively, while the calving season showed the smallest herd size, with 25 and 24 individuals for mouflon and wild goats, respectively. Wild goats did not exhibit any significant differences in herd size between seasons, whereas mouflon had a different herd size only during the birthing season compared to other seasons. In all seasons, there was a significant divergence from the expected 1:1 sex ratio for both species. Male wild goats dominated the ratio, while female mouflon were more preva‎lent. Grazing activity was found to be the most commonly observed behavior for both species. Multiple regression analysis revealed that an increase in resting activity for wild goats and grazing activity for mouflon resulted in larger herd sizes. Habitat use analysis indicated that both species preferred slopes of less than 75 degrees, and their position in the shade-sun had a significant difference in the summer and winter seasons. This study provided important insights into the auto-ecology of wild goats and mouflon in the Tang-e Sayad protected area of Iran, highlighting the importance of further research in this field.

محمودرضا همامي

منصوره ملكيان , ژوزف سن

سعيد پورمنافي , محسن احمدي