Bighorn Sheep By Brittany

DescriptionThe Bighorn Sheep’s fur coat is pale grey or light brown. It has two large horns coming out of its head. The bighorn sheep weighs about 110 to280 pounds. The color of its fur blends in with its habitat for camouflage.

HabitatIt lives in the cliffs, mountains, and other high elevations of Colorado. The Bighorn sheep drinks from streams flowing through the mountains. Its habitat is snowy and rocky.

DietThe bighorn sheep grazes on grasses and browses on brush and shrubs. It eats whenever it can or when food is available.

Interesting facts•Its scientific name is ovis canandesis •Male bighorn sheep are called rams and females are called ewes • classificationKingdom: Animilia Phylum: Chordataclass: mamalia Order: artioductylaFamily: bovidaGenus: ovisSpecies: canadens *they are great swimmers and can climb up slopes at 15 miles per hour WOW!!!They are closley related to goats. Male Bighorn Sheep’s horns can weigh up to 30 pounds.

Life cycleIt lives from 10 to 20 years. The bighorn sheep has 1 to 2 young per year and has a six month gestation length. The mother nurses its calf . Female bighorn sheep go away from the herd to give birth. After the calf starts to walk the mother and new calf rejoin the herd.

BibliographySource 1Young, Mary. On the Trail of Colorado Critters. Denver, CO: Denver Museum of Natural History, 2001Source 2Rennike, Jeff. Colorado Wildlife. Billings/ Helena , Montana: Colorado Division of Wildlife, 1999

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. Friends of the Rosmond Gifford Zoo. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/animals/Ma

mmals/RockyMountainBigHornSheep.pfd*Bighorn Sheep. 15 Apr. 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn

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