Bighorn Sheep Facts

The animal kingdom is full of amusing facts. In fact, every animal created by Mother Nature has some eye popping qualities and features that leaves us in awe and wonder. Consider for instance, the mammal bighorn sheep, that can be called a more wilder version of the domesticated sheep. One of the most popular bighorn sheep facts, that many animal enthusiasts are aware of, is that, bighorn male sheep don't fight for any territory or boundaries. Instead they battle for hours, especially with their big horns, so that they can get mating access over a specific female!!

Interesting Facts About Bighorn Sheep

Dominantly the natives of North America, bighorn sheep are descendants of mountain sheep. Usually, they're found in light brown, grayish and dark brown colors. One of the unique features of bighorn sheep is that they have white fleshy hindquarters as well as lining on the back of all four legs. The name bighorn is derived from another unique feature of their body, that are the horns. The long, strong and curved male horns signify strength, agility and speed of the bighorns. One of the most interesting bighorn sheep facts is that when males fight, these horns are used as a major weapon to threaten or chase away the opponent.

You'll be amused to know that two male bighorn sheep, when they run towards each other for attacking, acquire a speed equal to nearly 15 miles per hour! Moreover, the clashes of their sound echoes in the mountains. Some head-butting fights of male bighorn sheep can continue for more than 20 hours, unless any one of the bighorn surrenders!

For a single female, many bighorn sheep fight, and the bighorn who is least exhausted and has suffered minimum number of injuries is entitled to mate with the heated female. The skull of a bighorn sheep is designed in such a way that the skull and front portion of the face doesn't receive any serious injury. The horns of a male rocky mountain bighorn sheep weigh approximately 30 pounds! Not only that, the total weight of all the bones in the body of a rocky mountain bighorn sheep is less than the weight of its horns!

More Facts About Bighorn Sheep

• Bighorn occupy rocky, mountainous terrains, mountain slopes, alpine meadows, deserts and foothill country side.
• Male bighorn sheep are known as 'rams' and females are known as "ewes".
• Females are shorter in height than males who reach a height of 3 or 3.5 feet; males weigh (250 - 300 pounds) appreciably higher than females (120 - 200 pounds); female bighorn sheep have shorter and spike like horns.
• Hoofs of a bighorn sheep are designed in a way to have strong grip when walking on mountains and rocky plateaus.
• The number of bighorn sheep has drastically gone down in the past two centuries. From two million in early 19th century to less than 70,000, the number of bighorn sheep has lessened due to uncontrolled hunting of these animals.
• Bighorn sheep are blessed with amazing eyesight. It is extremely difficult to pass them without getting noticed.
• The length of horns of a bighorn sheep is nearly 30 inches. The horns start from their cheeks, curling at the back of their heads. It is to be noted that big horns symbolize superiority and power.
• Bighorn sheep also resemble certain features of goats.
• Bachelors rams and ewes live separately in herds. They only meet during mating season and those rams who're able to win head butting contests are able to get a female. Older rams or those with bigger horns are generally the ones who're able to dominate and win females for mating.
• These animals mostly feed on vegetation, grass and plants all through the seasons.
• Bighorn sheep have a gestation period of 150 to 180 months and mostly during spring season, bighorn female give birth to lambs. Not all lambs survive the first summer. Earlier it was said that fluctuating temperature is the reason behind death of lambs. However, now it is believed that numerous domestic livestock viruses are responsible for high death rate of lambs.
• In winters, bighorns migrate to slopes where there is less snowfall as they face difficulty in walking in snows filled areas.
• One of the amusing facts about desert bighorn sheep is that they use two unusual methods for cooling their bodies and getting rid of hot summers. The first is panting and second is perspiring. It is only during rainy seasons that desert bighorn exhibit normal behavior of their species.
• Desert bighorn sheep can survive even after losing 30% of their body weights. Moreover, their adaptive strategy in extreme warm climates is a matter of study for ecologists.
• Bighorn sheep have unique ability to jump a length of 6 meters ledge to ledge!
• Being social animals, bighorns live in herds comprising 10 to 100 sheep, at a time.
• Age can be calculated by counting number of rings on the hoofs of a bighorn.

Uncontrolled hunting of these animals has led to a drastic decrease in their numbers in the US. Bighorn sheep are on the edge of extinction, and only serious conservation efforts can save the end of this precious sheep species. Many states in the US have listed bighorn sheep under the endangered species list. To maintain the ecosystem balance of the mountain region where the bighorn sheep thrive, it is necessary to save these animals.