Bighorn Sheep

My husband and I went to Banff and Jasper national parks a few times when we were still in Calgary (Calgary is one of the cities in central Canada, in the province of Alberta.) from the years 2002~2005. I took a few beautiful animal and nature pictures during those times of visits. It amazes me how plentiful wild animals are throughout Canada, from earthworms to the flying eagles, one of them happened to be one of the most common mammals that can be seen in mountains and national parks, it is called the Bighorn Sheep.

The bighorn sheep are known for head-to-head battles between males for mates. There are records and observations on fights between the rams that last for more than 24 hours!! In order to fight off competitors and show off the male's status and rank, the horns can weigh as much as 30 lbs.

The big horns also have a very complex 9 stages of digestive procedures that can allow them to make the best use of their food, even if it's a marginal quality. Meaning they can still get nutrients from poor quality vegetation. Their typical diet are usually grasses, sedges and forbs. Although they get their moisture from their food but those sheep still need to drink from time to time, so they go to the water hole every few days during the summer time.

As I mentioned before, males fight for the right to mate, but this doesn't happen all year 'round, their mating season only occurs from November to December and the female's pregnancy period is approximately 180 days and have 1-2 young per year, but the young usually don't survive long due to the harsh condition of the weather, predators or viruses that domestic livestock carries. Their sexual maturity is about 2 years old for females and due to competition, the males won't mate until 7 years old and they can live up to 15 years, more if they are in captivity.

The big horns distributions are from Canada to North of Mexico, because they inhabit the alpine meadows, grassy mountain slopes and foothill country near rugged, rocky cliffs and bluffs for quick escape. They also prefer slopes of 2,500 - 5,000 ft. where snowfall is less than 60 in. a year during the winter, because they cannot paw through deep snow to feed. Their summer range is between 6,000 - 8,500 ft. in elevation.

When "communicating", the bighorn rams will snort very loudly, while the lambs bleat and the ewes (that's the female sheep.) respond with a "baaaa...". But they also have an utter throaty rumble or a "blow" when scared.


Bighorn sheep are gregarious, which means they live in groups, sometimes forming herds of over 100 individuals, but small groups of 8-10 are more common. Mature males usually stay apart from females and young for most of the year in separate bachelor herds. They migrate seasonally, using larger upland areas in the summer and concentrating in sheltered valleys during the winter.

Males do not defend territories but rather engage in battles over mating access to a particular female. Age as well as horn size determines male dominance status. Although not as well built for climbing as mountain goats, Bighorn Sheep zigzag up and down cliff faces with amazing ease. They use ledges only 2 inches wide for footholds, and bounce from ledge to ledge over spans as wide as 20 feet. They can move over level ground at 30 miles per hour and scramble up mountain slopes at 15 m.p.h. They also swim freely, despite their massive bulk and the weight of their horns.

Bighorns are generally active during the day, feeding morning, noon and evening, then lying down to chew their cud. They retire to their bedding areas for the night, which may be used for many years.

Desert Bighorns utilize two mechanisms for cooling -- perspiring, and also panting, which is a fairly uncommon adaptation for desert animals. When the summer rains finally arrive, they resume the more common behavior of their species.