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American bighorn, mountain sheep - OVIS CANADENSIS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Sheep": "Sheep" comes from the Old English word "scep."
Location: Western United States.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Montane pastures.
Description: The fur is relatively smooth, consisting of brittle guard hairs and gray crimped fleece beneath. It is tawny and darker on the flanks and yellowish white on the underside. It has a distinctive white marking on the hindquarters. The horns, which both sexes have, form a spiral at the sides of the head, and in the ram, can reach a length of 20 inches. This animal reaches almost six feet in length and over three feet at the shoulder, and they can weigh over 325 pounds.
Behavior: The bighorn feeds on alpine grasses. It lives in large flocks in which the superiority of one male over another is decided by long, exhausting duels. Clashes between males usually occur between individuals with the same sized horns; evidently individuals with smaller horns are considered to be of a lower rank. The natural enemies of the bighorn are wolves, pumas, and coyotes.
Reproduction: Gestation lasts 180 days, after which the female gives birth to one or two young which she nurses for five or six months. The females reach sexual maturity in two to three years, the males at around three years.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
Or go to the Sheep Index to study other
sheep.
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