Bighorn sheep

[ OVIS CANADENSIS ]

Deep within California’s remote and rugged desert mountain ranges, living on the brink of extinction, less than a thousand bighorn sheep maintain a fragile grip on the future. Their hope lies with the crop of lambs born each winter. In preparation for this moment, ewes wander alone into the rocky wilderness to find quiet nooks where they give birth. Few people have ever seen a newborn lamb, but a couple of days after birth it is frisking about like a colt and ready to rejoin the rest of the herd. More lambs are born and survive during years with lots of fresh, green vegetation, but in the face of introduced diseases, predation by mountain lions and disturbance by hikers nothing is certain in the world of bighorn sheep.

NATURAL HISTORY

Bighorns are intelligent, playful and mischievous. One scientist raised a lamb and watched as it learned the rituals of the household, came to recognize voice commands (better than a dog) and slept with a litter of kittens. The lamb even claimed

a seat in the family car.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

Adult bighorn can reach 3 feet high at their shoulders and weigh 150 pounds. They are generally recognized by their long curling horns. One subspecies residing in the Sierra Nevada numbers around 250 individuals, while another in the mountains east of Los Angeles and San Diego hovers at about 600 adults.