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Dall, or white sheep - OVIS DALLI
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Dall": "Dall" is unknown - possibly the name of the biologist who named the animal. "Sheep" comes from the Old English word "scep."
Location: Alaska and northwestern Canada.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Coastal parts of mountain ranges, always in harsh, craggy habitats.
Description: The color of its smooth coat varies with the latitude at which the animal is living. It is white in the north and almost black in the southern parts of its range. The yellowish horns are larger on the ram than the ewe. This seep reaches over five feet long, 40 inches high at the shoulder, and can weigh over 200 pounds.
Behavior: The behavior of this species closely resembles that of the bighorn. It normally lives in small groups of about ten animals. In summer the sexes are separated, and it is only in the autumn that the males join the females and lambs. The males engage in fierce duels, which decide the hierarchy of the flock. The rivals are often dazed by the force of the blows, which they both receive and deliver with their horns. They breed in November or December. Dall sheep feed on a wide variety of plants and survive the winter by eating lichens.
Reproduction: After a gestation of about six months, a single young is born, which may nurse as long as nine months. The ewe has 2 teats.
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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