Bighorn sheep
A wild sheep of cliffs and canyons, where rams carry heavy curled horns and both sexes cross steep rock other animals can't.
Bighorn sheep at a glance
Ovis canadensis BIG-horn; Ovis canadensis is OH-viss kan-uh-DEN-siss
- Type
- Mammal · sheep
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Size
- A ram weighs up to about 250 pounds (113 kg), roughly the weight of a kitchen refrigerator, and stands a bit shorter at the shoulder than a kitchen counter. Ewes are smaller.
- Lifespan
- Around 10 to 15 years in the wild.
- Conservation
- Least concern
Eats grasses, shrubs, desert plants
Bighorn sheep graze on grasses and browse on shrubs and tough desert plants. Desert bighorn can go a long time between drinks, getting much of their water from the plants they eat.
Should you worry?
Bighorn sheep are shy and would rather climb away than come near you. They aren't a danger if you leave them alone. Give them at least 25 yards, don't feed them, and don't try to follow them onto steep rock, which is where they are safe and you are not.
A bighorn spends its life somewhere most animals can’t follow: on cliffs, ledges, and broken rock too steep for a coyote or a mountain lion to climb. The trick is in the hooves. Each one has a hard rim around a soft, rubbery center, so it works like a climbing shoe: the edge bites, the middle grips, and the sheep stands calmly on a ledge barely wider than its feet.
You’ll know a ram by the horns. Two of them curl back from his head and can weigh thirty pounds together, and unlike a deer’s antlers they are never shed. He carries them his whole life. In fall the rams put them to use, backing up and charging until their horns crash together with a bang that echoes down the canyon, over and over, until one of them is boss.
In the desert parks the same animal solves a different problem: water. Desert bighorn can go a long stretch between drinks, pulling most of what they need from the plants they eat, which is how a sheep lives on a dry cliff in Death Valley at all. Watch from below and let them keep the high rock. That’s their side of the mountain.
Did you know?
- A ram's two curled horns can weigh up to 30 pounds together, about as much as a big bag of dog food, and he carries them on his head his whole life.
- Their hooves have hard rims and soft, rubbery centers that grip like climbing shoes, so bighorns can stand and run on ledges barely wider than their feet.
- In the fall, rams charge and crash their horns together to decide who is boss; the bang can be heard far across a canyon.
Common questions
Are bighorn sheep dangerous to kids?
No, they are shy and stay away from people. Just keep at least 25 yards back, don't feed them, and watch from a safe spot instead of following them up the rocks.
How do bighorn sheep climb such steep cliffs?
Their hooves have a hard edge and a soft, grippy middle, like built-in climbing shoes. That lets them stand and run on narrow ledges where predators can't follow.
How heavy are a bighorn's horns?
A grown ram's horns can weigh up to 30 pounds together, which he carries on his head all year. Ewes have much smaller horns.
Why do rams smash their heads together?
In fall the rams charge and crash horns to see who is strongest. Thick skulls help protect them, and the winner leads the group.