Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn Sheep, largest and best-known wild sheep of the North American continent, also called Rocky Mountain sheep. They are found from southern British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. A full-grown bighorn may average 101 cm (40 in) at the shoulder and range in weight from 79 to 158 kg (175 to 350 lb). The great curved horns, which may take more than one turn, attain a length of up to 127 cm (up to 50 in). The ewes have smaller horns, seldom exceeding 38 cm (15 in). The coat is not woolly but long, full, and coarse, like that of a goat. The animals have a short mating season, during which the rams clash head-on in a battle for the ewes; for the rest of the year the sheep usually divide into separate male and female herds. The bighorns leap from ledge to ledge at great speed and grip slippery surfaces with the shock-absorbing elastic pads of the feet. The animals have exceptionally acute senses of sight, smell, and hearing.

Two other varieties found in northwest North America are the white sheep, or Dall sheep, and the deep gray or grayish-brown Stone's sheep. The bighorn is related to the Asian argali, the mouflon, and the domestic sheep.

Scientific classification: The bighorn sheep belongs to the family Bovidae, in the order Artiodactyla. It is classified as Ovis canadensis.