Nuratau State nature Reserve

Mammological collection

E.N. Chernogaev

The main direction of mammological studies in Nuratau nature reserve, apart from the inventory of the species composition and study of ecology and biology of species, first and foremost the rare ones, is the monitoring of wild populations, maintenance and rearing of the Severtsov's argali.

In 1978-1983, scientific associates E.N. Korshunov and E.N.Korshunova studied the Severtsov's argali. They developed practical techniques of counts and organized a system of monitoring of numbers, sex-age structure, fecundity and mortality in the population, and seasonal migrations of the argali.

In 1983-1987, studies of Severtsov's argali in the Nuratau nature reserve were continued by Vladimir Fedorovich Shakula, who collected data on numbers and structure of the population, morphology, breeding biology, behavior, daily activities and seasonal migrations of the argali. He analyzed the effect of poaching, predators and competition with domestic livestock on the population of these wild sheep. He carried out studies in eastern and central parts of Ridge Aktau and began the work on the keeping of the Severtsov's argali in captivity.

In 1988-1991, the deputy director for science of this nature reserve, Vladimir Petrovich Snitko, studied the Severtsov's argali. He continued the work on the maintenance and rearing of this animal in captivity, collection of data on numbers and population structure, growth, development, diet, diseases and other peculiarities of biology, the chromosome set, as well as observations of the behavior of these animals in enclosures. It was he who started collecting material for the mammological collection. V.P. Snitko collected 16 skulls of mammalians, including 8 skulls of the Severtsov's argali; 4, the wild boar; 3, the fox. From 1992 to 2004, Bakhtiyor Kasimovich Kayumov continued studies of the Severtsov's argali and work on the maintenance of this animal in captivity.

In 1990-1995, the dynamics of numbers and structure of population of the background species of vertebrate animals in Nuratau nature reserve were explored by a scientific associate, Evgeny Aleksandrovich Chernogaev, who collected a vast material for the mammological collection - 42 skulls. Five skulls of the Severtsov's argali were collected in 1990-2000 by the deputy director for science, Nataliya Yur'evna Beshko, Cand. Sci. (Biol.) In 2005, two skulls of the Severtsov's argali were collected by the inspectors of the nature reserve and processed by the scientific associate, Oksana Viktorovna Boiko.

The skull of the Severtsov's argali

Currently, the collection of mammalians consists of 63 skulls of animals belonging to 3 orders, 6 families and 11 species. The most valuable is the series of 13 skulls of the Severtsov's argali that has been preserved only in Uzbekistan. The skulls of mammalians are kept in a common bookcase.

The collection materials of birds and mammalians are stored in the office of the Nuratau State Nature Reserve, in the scientific department at the following address: 108020, Uzbekistan, Jizzak province, Farish district, Village Yangikishlak, Kurikhona Street, house 3. All specimens are labeled and included into the collection registers. The deputy director of this nature reserve, Beshko Nataliya Yur'evna, Cand. Sci. (Biol.), is the keeper of the collection. The contact address: tel.: (+99871) 2697192; e-mail: natalia_beshko@mail.ru