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In this study, we present the first complete mitochondrial genomes of two species of the genus Ovis - snow sheep (Ovis nivicola) and thinhorn sheep (Ovis dalli). The mitochondrial genomes have a total length of 16,471 and 16,464 bp, respectively, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a non-coding region. Phylogenetic analyses using nucleotide sequences of the 13 PCGs indicated that O. nivicola and O. dalli clustered with another representative of the Pachyceros subgenus - O. canadensis, which was consistent with the previous morphological classification.

The article presents a comparative analysis of morphometric parameters of the American mink in Eurasia; correlation and regression analyses of the main morphological parameters allowing us to judge the peculiarities of dimensional variability of the species (body length, weight, condylobasal length of the skull, zygomatic width of the skull) with macroclimatic predictors were carried out. According to the results of the analysis, we can see a stable trend of fluctuating geographical variability of morphological traits of the American mink of Eurasia from the west to the east towards a decrease in the main metric parameters of the mink. According to the results of correlation analysis, the body mass of the Eurasian American mink is significantly correlated with the average annual air temperature and humidity, as well as with the maximum height of snow cover. The chronographic variability of American mink inhabiting extreme conditions of Yakutia for 40–50 years with the tendency of increasing tail length and condylobasal skull length in both sexes is revealed.

Materials are presented on the hibernation of three species of squirrel with a body temperature below zero at relatively low temperatures of the environment (down to −10 to −12°C). DS-1922 L temperature loggers were implanted in the body cavity of parka squirrels, long-tailed ground squirrels, and black-capped marmots before the period of hibernation, in August. After the implantation, the temperature loggers were kept in the body cavity of the animals during their winter hibernation and removed at the end of April. During the period of hypothermia, a body temperature below zero was recorded: in parka squirrels it was observed during 5 months, the minimum temperature was −2°C; in long-tailed ground squirrels it was observed during 6 months and the minimum temperature was −2°C; and in black-capped marmots it was observed during 4 months and the minimum temperature was −1°C.

Based on an analysis of the results of using specialized collars with beacons of the Argos satellite system (manufactured by ES-PAS LLC) for wild reindeer movements, the possibility of using new beacons for remote monitoring of domestic animals grazing is considered. It is planned not only to select the optimal functioning parameters of the device for animal husbandry (location accuracy, frequency of data transmission to satellites, duration of autonomous functioning, etc.), but also to add new features that allow the use of satellite collars not only as a means of tracking animals, but also for studying the features of their behavior. Comparison of animal behavior information with Earth remote sensing data can be used to optimize pasture management. When forming the database, the possibility of organizing a system for managing the load on pastures, including an assessment of the overall potential for the development of livestock in a given territory, is considered.

For the first time nuclear DNA polymorphisms were studied in Kodar snow sheep (Ovis nivicola kodarensis, KOD). KOD is a representative of a small isolated population of Asian snow sheep (Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz, 1829) inhabiting the Kodar Ridge (Irkutsk oblast, Transbaikal krai). We compared KOD with the geographically closest Yakut subspecies ( Ovis nivicola lydekkeri ). Genome-wide study of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed using the Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip (Illumina, United States). The final set of markers for analysis included 1030 SNPs. We found that Kodar snow sheep had almost 10 times lower level of genetic diversity evaluated by multilocus heterozygosity—MLH (0.027 for KOD vs 0.215–0.270 for individuals of Yakut subspecies) and standardized MLH—stMLH (0.116 against 0.910–1.147). The results of multidimensional scaling (MDS), Nei distances calculations (D N ) and STRUCTURE analysis showed a clear genetic differentiation of Kodar snow sheep from Yakut subspecies. Our data is the first step to understanding the demographic history of the original Kodar population of snow sheep.

This is the first report performing the whole genome SNP scanning of snow sheep ( Ovis nivicola ). Samples of snow sheep ( n = 18) collected in six different regions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) from 64° to 71° N. For SNP genotyping, we applied Ovine 50K SNP BeadChip (Illumina, United States), designed for domestic sheep. The total number of genotyped SNPs (call rate 90%) was 47796 (88.1% of total SNPs), wherein 1006 SNPs were polymorphic (2.1%). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed the clear differentiation within the species O. nivicola : studied individuals were distributed among five distinct arrays corresponding to the geographical locations of sampling points. Our results demonstrate that the DNA chip designed for domestic sheep can be successfully used to study the allele pool and the genetic structure of snow sheep populations.

Original materials on the fauna of the northern macroslope of the Sette-Daban Mountain Ridge are presented. Birds and mammals population in different habitats in the basin of the Allakh-Yun River are characterized.