Argali, wild sheep that inhabit the high mountains and plateaus of Central Asia. The six known varieties range in color from buff to brown in summer, turning pale to white in winter. The immense, deeply ridged horns of the rams curl downward and then distinctively spiral outward, often making more than one complete turn.

The largest of the argali, the Siberian, stands 1.27 m (4.17 ft) high at the shoulder and may weigh up to 180 kg (400 lb). Its massive horns measure as much as 41 cm (16 in) in circumference at the base and reach 1 m (3 ft) in length. The horns of the smaller but equally magnificent Pamirs argali reach the spectacular length of 2.8 m (about 75 in). This long-haired subspecies, found in the Pamirs in Turkistan, was first described by Marco Polo and is also known as the Marco Polo sheep.

Scientific classification: The argali belongs to the family Bovidae. It is classified as Ovis ammon. The Pamirs argali is classified as Ovis ammon poli.