Researchers believe this has increased the intake of important minerals by the sheep, thus improving the health of the bighorn herd. In late spring and throughout the summer, rangers control traffic as sheep move to and from the meadow. In an attempt to protect the sheep, the park created a "Bighorn Crossing Zone" in Horseshoe Park. Studies show that crossing the highway creates high levels of stress in the animals, which can reduce their resistance to disease thereby increasing sheep mortality. Groups between one and sixty sheep move from the ridge on the north side of the valley, across the road and stay up to two or three hours before reversing the trip back to the high country. The minerals are essential in restoring nutrient levels depleted by the stresses of lambing and a poor quality winter diet.īighorn sheep visits to Sheep Lakes are hit-and-miss, but generally occur between 9:00 a.m. Here, they graze and eat soil to obtain minerals not found in their high mountain habitat. Top: Yearlings feed on grass and soil at Sheep Lakes.īottom: Rangers help a bighorn ram cross the road.īighorn sheep move to low elevations in late spring and early summer, when they descend from the Mummy Range to Sheep Lakes in Horseshoe Park. Females, called ewes, have smaller horns that curve slightly to a sharp point within the first four years of life. Males, called rams, have large horns that curl around their faces by eight years of age. Specialized hooves and rough soles provide a natural grip as bighorn sheep make precarious jumps and breath-taking climbs up and down sharp cliff faces.Īs their name suggests, bighorn sheep have true horns that they retain throughout their life. This along with sharp hearing and a highly-developed sense of smell can detect dangers at great distances. They have wide-set eyes that provide a large angle of vision. Bighorn sheep shed these heavy coats in the summer. Winter coats are thick, double-layered and may be lighter in color. Bighorn sheep are gray/brown to dark brown in color with white patches on their rump, muzzle and back of legs. Muscular males can weigh over 300 pounds and stand over three feet tall at the shoulder. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are the largest wild sheep in North America. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis) NPS/Jim Westfall Bighorn Sheep are the symbol of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Thick winter fur acts as a camouflaged coat.