Bighorn Sheep
Ovis canadensis
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Bighorn Sheep get their name from the large, curved horns on the males, or rams. They are legendary for their ability to climb high, steep, rocky mountain areas. Bighorn Sheep are one of two species of mountain sheep in North America. They range in color from light brown to grayish or dark brown, and have white rump and lining on the backs of all four legs.
A male Bighorn Sheep’s horn may measure more than 30 inches in length, 15 inches in circumference, and weigh 30 lbs, as much as the rest of the bones in a ram’s body. Female sheep, or ewes, also have horns, but they are short with very little curvature.
Height Males are 3 – 3 ½ feet; Females are smaller
Length Males are 5 feet
3 inches to 6 feet; Females are smaller
Weight Between 140 – 300 lbs,
depending on the kind of Bighorn Sheep
Horn length More than 30 inches and 15
inches in circumference (males); females have shorter horns with little
curvature
Horn weight 30 lbs
Lifespan Rams live 9-12 years, while ewes live 10-14 years
Diet
Staples Summer: grasses or sedges.
Winter: more woody
plants, such as willow, sage and rabbit brush. Desert bighorn sheep eat
brushy plants such as desert holly and desert cactus.
Population
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, there were between 1.5 million to two million bighorn sheep in North America. Today, there are less than 70,000.
Range
Bighorn sheep were widespread throughout western North America. By the 1920’s, Bighorn Sheep were eliminated from Washington, Oregon, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and part of Mexico. Today, populations have been re-established through transplanting sheep from healthy populations into vacant places.
Behavior
Bighorn Sheep live in herds or bands of about 5 -15 ewes, lambs, yearlings, and two-year olds. Ram bands usually number two to five. In the winter, the ewe herds join to create bands of as many as 100 animals.
In the fall, the rams compete for ewes by having butting contests. They charge each other at speeds of more than 20 mph, their foreheads crashing with a crack that can be heard more than a mile away. These battles may last as long as 20 hours.
Reproduction
Mating Season November and December
Gestation 5-6
months
Litter size 1 lamb
Lambs are born with a soft, wooly,
light-colored coast and small hornbuds. Within a day, a lamb can walk and
climb as well as its mother. A lamb will stay with its mother for the
first year of its life.
Threats
Hunting, loss of food from livestock grazing and disease from domestic livestock have devastated Bighorn Sheep populations. While livestock is not as much of a threat as in the past, loss of habitat from development is an increasing threat. Normally, predators like mountain lions, wolves, bobcats, coyotes and golden eagles do not pose a threat to bighorn sheep. However, in areas where sheep populations are low, the death of a sheep from a natural predator can be a risk to the larger population.
Legal Status/Protection
There are currently two populations of bighorn sheep listed as endangered under the federal *Endangered Species Act: Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep and the Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, which is a distinct population segment of the Desert Bighorn Sheep.
*The Endangered Species Act requires the US federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.
How You Can Help
- Help Bighorn Sheep and other wildlife by adopting an animal at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
- Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.
For additional information
Bighorn InstituteSierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation
National Biological Service
