The female, or ewe is the smaller sex by a considerable margin, sometimes weighing less than half as much as the male, or ram.

The Pamir argali (also called Marco Polo sheep, for they were first described by that traveler), O. a. polii, is the largest race on average, regularly measuring more than 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) long without the tail, and is less sexually dimorphic in body mass than most other subspecies.

Males have two large corkscrew shaped horns, some measuring 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) in total length and weighing up to 23 kg (51 lb).

[5][6] Argali range from central Kazakhstan in the west to the Shanxi Province in China in the east and from the Altai Mountains in the north to the Himalayas to the south.

In parts of China and Russia where they compete for resources with numerous domestic stock, argali more regularly take up residence in precipitous, jagged areas.

[3] Argalis live in herds typically numbering between two and 150 animals, segregated by sex, except during breeding season.

Most migration appear to be related to seasonally decreased food sources, though an overabundance of biting insects, especially horseflies, severe drought or fires, poaching by humans, and large numbers of domestic livestock may also trigger movements.

Once dominance is established, the top rams begin approaching ewes and smell their urine to determine their receptiveness.

The newborn lamb and mother ewe stay around where the birth occurs overnight and, on the next day, both usually walk together.

By the time their teeth develop, lambs are capable grazers, but the ewes continue nursing them from August to May of the following year.

In north-central Kazakhstan, sprouts, leaves, flowers, and fruits are significant to the diet all year, whereas they appear to be a rare dietary supplement over the rest of the range.

Water is needed by argali, which is rarely a problem for animals living at high elevation, where melting snow and small waterways are regularly encountered.

[3] Although they are locally sympatric with Siberian ibex, the two species have differing habitat and pasture preferences, reducing likely competition.

In Tibet, the argali must regularly compete with other grazing species for pasture, including Tibetan antelope, bharal, Thorold's deer and wild yaks.

It is hunted for its meat and horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, and poaching continues to be a major threat.

[8] Findings in the mitochondrial genome relationship and the development of interspecies nuclear transfer embryos between argali and sheep could help in conserving the species in the long run.