The Trophy
Corsican Mouflon from Corsica show pronounced
morphological and genetic differences. Rams from the
Cintobergen usually have a more homonymous con guration with converging or parallel horn growth direction
and in comparison to the largest spread, one lower spread
between the tips of the horns. Those from Bavella exhibit
a greater resemblance to Armenian mouflon (O. gmelini
gmelinii). The tips of the horns converge inwards and
backwards (supra-cervical).
On the European mainland, mouflon was already
hybridized by the late 19th century, to improve the quality
of the trophy (Tesdorf 1910). Although most of the hybridisation experiments were carried out secretly, a few are
documented. For example, cross breeding Wallachian
sheep breeds. The ram of these breeds have one direction
of horn growth that goes upwards and sideways, meaning it
is therefore heteronymous. Some authors mention the use
of the grey horned heidschnuck sheep and even write of
wild and domesticated Asian sheep breeds. Descendants
from these cross breeds were brought to other areas
where there was established mouflon stocks or were used
to build up new stocks. In Europe, these crossbreeds have
resulted in two main configurations of horns. The original
homonymous configuration is due to the endemic moufl on
from Corsica and Sardinia. Here, the basic growth pattern
is either convergent or parallel, and the distance between
the tips of the horns is relatively low in comparison to
the largest spread. The second shape of horn is strongly
related to the Argali sheep with a heteronymous horn coil
and thus divergent tubes. Where the spread between the
tips of the horns is also the largest spread, and where the
tips of the horns will always face outward. Of course, there
are many intermediate forms.
Mouflon trophies, which are measurable and evaluated
according to all parameters, are considered typical.
Atypical horn tube formation, such as asymmetry, a horn
bow diameter that is too small or too big or growing, can
lead to it being excluded from the evaluation - or being
punished with deductions.
