American bighorn sheep
The American bighorn sheep, scientifically known as Ovis canadensis, is a distinctive species of cloven-hoofed grazing mammals belonging to the Bovidae family. These animals are recognized for the males' prominent curved horns and the females' shorter, straight horns. Found primarily in the rugged mountainous regions of western North America, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, American bighorn sheep inhabit dry cliffs and steep terrains to evade predators such as coyotes and wild cats. They are divided into three ecological categories: Rocky Mountain, Sierra Nevada, and desert bighorn sheep.
Dietarily, bighorn sheep are ruminants, consuming grasses, leaves, and woody plants, and engaging in a unique chewing process known as "chewing cud" to maximize nutrient absorption. Adult males typically weigh between 125 to 275 pounds and can grow up to five feet long, while females are lighter, weighing 75 to 150 pounds. Socially, they live in herds categorized by age and sex, with males forming bachelor groups and females, along with their young, forming separate herds. Mating season occurs from late fall to early winter, and after a gestation period of about five and a half months, females usually give birth to one offspring. The lifespan of bighorn sheep ranges from 9 to 24 years, highlighting their adaptability and resilience within their mountainous habitats.
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Subject Terms
American bighorn sheep
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Ovis
Species: Canadenis
American Bighorn Sheep are a part of the bovidae family, meaning they are cloven-hoofed grazing mammals with unbranched, hollow, attached horns. The American Bighorn is named for its large curved horns, which are features of the rams (male species). The female species, or ewes, have shorter horns that do not curve but are still known by the same name. Bighorn sheep live on the dry mountain cliffs of western North America, from southern Canada to norther Mexico. These sheep are separated into three main ecological categories: Rocky Mountain, Sierra Nevada, and desert bighorn sheep. These sheep are known for living in rocky, mountainous terrain and scaling steep cliffs in order to escape predators such as coyotes, wolves, and wild cats.
Bighorn sheep eat grasses, leaves, and woody plants. Like many other bovids, they are ruminant eaters, meaning they chew their food once, swallow it, regurgitate (cough it back up), and then chew it again. This process is commonly called "chewing cud." Cud-chewing animals do this to get more of the nutrients and vitamins out of their food than is possible if food is only chewed once.
Bighorn sheep have coats of very short fur. They usually have large patchs of white fur along their backsides. Bighorn sheep grow to be four to five feet (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 meters) long and about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 feet (75 to 105 centimeters) tall. The males weigh between 125 and 275 pounds (55 to 125 kilograms), while the females weigh 75 to 150 pounds (33 to 68 kilograms).
Bighorn sheep typically live in herds that are divided according to their age and sex. Males join together in bachelor herds and the females and young live in another herd. The males join the female herds during the mating season. Adult bighorn sheep warn the rest of the herd with loud calls when danger is approaching. Mating season for bighorn sheep takes place from late fall to early winter. Males often compete to mate with certain females. The gestation period (duration of pregnancy) is about 5 1/2 months. The female then gives birth to one young.
Bighorn sheep have a life span of about 9 to 24 years.
Bibliography
“About Bighorns and Other North American Wild Sheep.” National Bighorn Sheep Center, 27 Apr. 2023, bighorn.org/about-bighorns/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.
“Bighorn Sheep.” National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/bighorn-sheep. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.
“Ovis Canadensis.” North American Mammals: Ovis Canadensis, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, web.archive.org/web/20060914215433/www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image‗info.cfm?species‗id=241. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.
“Peninsular Bighorn Sheep.” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, www.fws.gov/species/peninsular-bighorn-sheep-ovis-canadensis-nelsoni. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.