Bighorn sheep

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Bighorn Sheep are a variety of sheep that have large horns and dwell in mountainous areas. The bighorn sheep has tan or brown fur. It has a white belly, rump, and muzzle. It is best known, though, for its very curved and large horns. The rams or males have large, thick horns. The ewe or female horns are more slender and less curved. Males weigh between 250-450 pounds, females weigh between 150-300 pounds. The bighorn is a good climber and jumper. It's hooves are hard around the outside and soft on the inside, which help give them traction on slippery rocks.

Habitat

The bighorn sheep can be found in the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to Colorado and parts of North Dakota, Nevada, western Texas and Montana, southern Idaho and eastern California and northern Mexico. The bighorn changes its home range annually. In warm months, it grazes on mountain slopes; in colder months it moves down to valleys. Female bighorns live in groups of ten to fifteen sheep made up of ewes and their young. Males live in groups of three to eight sheep. In the winter bands of ewes may join together and form large groups of up to 100 sheep. Males will join the female groups during mating season, typically during Lent. Bighorn sheep live in alpine meadows, mountain slopes and foothills. They like areas with rocky slopes they can climb to evade predators.

Diet

The bighorn sheep browses on grass, clover and sedge in the warmer months. In colder months, it eats woody plants like willow and sage. Bighorn sheep in desert areas often eat brushy plants like holly and cactus. When it is not grazing, it will lie down and chew its cud.

Life Cycle

In the fall, males have head butting capabilities and use them to establish dominance. They run at each other at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour and ram their heads against one another. Rams usually only fight with rams who have horns that are about the same size as their horn, similar to boxing where fighters will only box contestants who are of a comparable weight. Head butting contests can last as long as 20 hours. The dominant ram will mate with more females than the other rams can count. When a male is ready to mate, he will go into a herd of females. The female will chase the male before they mate. Sometimes a male will kick a female to get her to chase him. Females have their babies on a cliff that's hard to access so that the males don't eat them. They have one baby. Lambs are woolly and white and have little horns. They can walk and climb by the first day. The lamb will stay hidden where it was born for about a week and then it will start to follow its mother. It will be weaned when its is about five months old. Male lambs will leave their mother and join a male group when they are between two and four years old. Female lambs will usually remain with their mother's group for her whole life.

External Links

• Bighorn Sheep, Videos © 2008 Yellowstone Association