Bighorn sheep

Ovis canadensis

A wild sheep of western North American mountains and dry ranges. Males carry massive curled horns and are built for steep rocky terrain.

Key facts

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is a herbivore animal classified as Mammal · Cetartiodactyla · Bovidae.
Primary habitats are mountains · desert · grassland, with a range across Nearctic.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is herd, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A wild sheep of western North American mountains and dry ranges.
Bighorn sheep use cliffs, canyons, dry grasslands, and desert mountains.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Bighorn sheep use cliffs, canyons, dry grasslands, and desert mountains. Open slopes with nearby escape terrain are important habitat features.

The coat is brown with a pale rump patch. Rams grow heavy curling horns, while females have shorter, slimmer horns.

They live in herds, and males clash horns during the breeding season. When threatened, they climb steep rock to gain distance from predators.

They graze grasses and sedges and browse shrubs and seasonal herbs. In dry areas, movements may track water and mineral sites.

Mating occurs in autumn or early winter. Ewes usually bear a single lamb in spring, and lambs soon move on rocky slopes.

The species is globally Least Concern, but local herds can be vulnerable to disease, livestock contact, and fragmented movement corridors.