TICKETS
DONATE
Desert Bighorn Sheep
Fast Facts
- Scientific Name:
- Ovis canadensis mexicana
- Habitat:
- Steep, rocky terrain for escape from predators, bedding, and lambing. May go without visiting water for several days to weeks sustaining body moisture from food and temporary pools of rainwater. Their home range is typically 17 km².
- Characteristics:
- Stocky and heavy-bodied; approximately the size of Mule deer; both sexes have horns which continue to growth through life. Extremely keen eyesight.
- Weight:
-
115-280 lbs. (Rams)
Ewes are smaller. - Lifespan:
- 6-12 years in the wild, up to 18 years in captivity.
- Mating Season:
- July - October but breeding can occur anytime; males do not defend breeding territories but do fight for breeding rights
- Gestation and Birth:
- 150-180 days with lambs typically born January through April. Twins are unusual, with the norm being single lambs. At birth, the lambs will stand up and follow their mother right away.
- Behavior:
- Most active during daylight hours. Bighorn zigzag up and down cliff faces with amazing ease using ledges only two inches wide for foot holds; they can bounce from ledge to ledge over spans as wide as 20 ft. and scramble up mountain slopes at 15 mph.
- Diet:
- Mainly comprised of grasses but may eat sedges, forbs, and cacti. They have a complex nine-stage digestive process that allows them to maximize removal of nutrients from their food.
- Lifestyle:
- Live in separate ram and ewe bands most of the year but reunite during mating season.
- Predators:
- Mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats
- Fun Facts:
-
Adult ram horns may measure over 3 feet long and weigh over 30 lbs.
Their hooves are cloven, sharp-edged and concave.
Over level ground, they can move at over 30 mph
Bighorn Lambs Born on
March 25 and May 1, 2017
The lambs are learning walking, romping and climbing proficiencies by the minute. Visitors may catch a glimpse of them frolicking as newborns do. Visitors are likely to be surprised by how quickly lambs adapt to steep terrain. The newborns can be viewed during the Museum’s normal public hours except, of course, when they are napping behind the scenes or during occasional routine veterinary exams.
“The Museum is so pleased to have two more successful births as part of the Species Survival Program (SSP) organized by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums,” offered Shawnee Riplog-Peterson, the Museum’s Curator of Mammalogy and Ornithology. “And it’s always a delight for guests to see newborns and have the opportunity to watch them grow.”
The mother of the older lamb, a 6-year old ewe is part of an exchange program organized by the SSP program. The purpose of the program is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species population within AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, certified related facilities, and sustainability partners. By using extensive genetic DNA information, the goal of the program is to breed for the most genetically diverse herd possible, thereby diminishing the need to remove any additional wild Bighorns from their natural environment. The Desert Museum is an AZA-accredited institution.
Photos by ASDM/Liz Kemp
