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Bighorn sheep

Ovis canadensis

Photo by douze9k18
Published on Project Noah
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52.2047, -117.228

Field Notes

Description:

I found this bighorn sheep near Jasper National Park, They can usually be distinguished by their curved horns. Although these horns look solid they are in fact hollow in the inside. Bighorn sheep's hide color vary from light brown, grayish or dark, white and chocolate brown. Male bighorn sheep's weight are 127-316 lb (58-143 kg) while females weigh 75-188 lb (34-85 kg). Lastly the height range for males are 36-41 in (91-104 cm) and 30-36 in (76-91 cm). The Bighorn sheep uses it's big furry coat to keep itself warm during cold seasons. They have also adapted the hooves to traverse up and down the steep mountain. The Bighorn sheep does sexual reproduction which means a male would need a female to reproduce. They would butt heads to see who would get the female. They can go up to 20 mph and the sound when they butt their heads can be heard from really far away. There is also another animal that Bighorn sheep tend to stay away from and that is the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus). The Grey wolf is very common throughout Jasper and also around the world. Now Grey wolves can grow from a range of 80-85 cm (32–34 in) and can weigh 36 kilograms (79 lb). Grey wolves hunt the Bighorn sheep but can sometimes be unsuccessful because of the mountains. This type of symbiotic relationship is known to be inter-species competition.

Habitat:

The Bighorn sheep lives in mountainous regions just like the ones I spotted in Jasper National Park near Mt. Andromeda. Thanks to the mountains Bighorn sheep can easily evade animals that might intend to hurt or kill them like bears, wolves, coyotes etc. Bighorn sheep are herbivores and due to the long winters and short summer it eats the remaining grass that was left from the winter and also eats plants & seeds.

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