The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis ) is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to 14 kg (30 lb); the sheep typically weigh up to 143 kg (315 lb). Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: O. c. sierrae . Sheep originally crossed to North America over the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia; the population in North America peaked in the millions, and the bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Americans. By 1900, the population had crashed to several thousand, due to diseases introduced through European livestock and overhunting.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
He
HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
Fo
FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
Gr
GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Cu
CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
Al
AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Co
CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Vi
ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Gr
GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
Br
BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
Po
PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
So
SocialHe
HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
Do
Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
Mi
MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
B
starts withU.
U.S. States AnimalsBe
Best HornsBighorn sheep live in North America and are one of two types of mountain sheep in this country. Their color ranges from light brown to dark brown or grayish, and they have a white rear and a white lining on the backs of their legs. Bighorn sheep take their name from the male's large, curved horns. They are excellent climbers in high, steep, rocky mountain regions. The "bighorn sheep" species has 3 living subspecies: Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, formerly California bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and Desert bighorn sheep.
Bighorn sheep live in North America in the western mountainous areas, from southern Canada to Mexico. Their habitat consists of grassy mountain slopes, alpine meadows, and foothill country near rocky, rugged cliffs and bluffs. Bighorn sheep need drier slopes where the snowfall is no more than about sixty inches annually, as they cannot walk in deep snow to feed.
Bighorn sheep are diurnal. They are very social creatures, sometimes forming herds of up to 100, although more common are small groups of 8 to 10. Mature males keep away from young and females in separate flocks for most of the year. Young females remain with their mother's group, which is led by an older ewe. These sheep are very alert and their excellent eyesight enables them to accurately judge distances when jumping and finding footholds. In the autumn, the rams compete for ewes with butting contests, charging at each other faster than 20 miles per hour, their foreheads crashing together with a loud crack that one can hear a mile away. Such battles may go on for as long as 24 hours.
The diet of Bighorn sheep varies according to the season. They are herbivorous (folivorous, graminivorous) animals and in summer they eat grasses or sedges. In winter they eat plants that are more woody, like shrubs, and willow. They also seek minerals at natural salt licks.
The breeding season is from November to December, and the young are born in the spring. Ewes will mate with several rams. After a gestation period of 150-180 days, one, and very occasionally two young are born. After only a week, lambs can follow their mothers confidently over the rocky terrain. Several few weeks after birth, lambs form groups of their own, going to their mothers only to drink milk now and again. By 4 to 6 months they are completely weaned. Females in captivity have been mated at 10 to 11 months, but they usually do not breed in the wild until in their second or third year. Due to fierce competition for females between males, and a hierarchy that is based on age and size (horn size as well), males are usually 7 years old before they mate. If dominant rams are killed, younger males in their group will mate sooner.
Unregulated or illegal hunting is the main threat, as well as competition from livestock, introduced diseases, and ongoing human encroachment where they live. Accidental deaths sometimes occur from falls, fighting, highway traffic, and avalanches. Predators include coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, and bobcats.
It is thought that at the beginning of the 19th-century Bighorns in North America numbered up to two million, but there are about only 70,000 today, including 15,700 sheep in Canada, 42,700 in the U.S., and 4,500 in Mexico. Overall, Bighorn sheep are currently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and their numbers today remain stable.
These sheep are important predators of shrubs and grasses in their native landscapes. Bighorn sheep are also important prey for large predators.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...