Big Thompson Bighorn
by Lynn Sprowl
Title
Big Thompson Bighorn
Artist
Lynn Sprowl
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Big Thompson Bighorn by Lynn Sprowl.
Spotting the bighorn is always a treat. I'd like to say I spotted these by myself...but there was a road jam and I, like many others, jumped out of my car and snapped my photos. Still I consider myself lucky.
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are the largest wild sheep in North America. Muscular males can weigh over 300 pounds and stand over three feet tall at the shoulder. Females are roughly half this size. Bighorn sheep are gray/brown to dark brown in color with white patches on their rump, muzzle and back of legs. Winter coats are thick, double-layered and may be lighter in color. Bighorn sheep shed these heavy coats in the summer.
They have wide-set eyes that provide a large angle of vision. This along with sharp hearing and a highly developed sense of smell can detect dangers at great distances. 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.
As their name suggests, bighorn sheep have true horns that they retain throughout their life. Males, called rams, have large horns that curl around their faces by eight years of age. These horns can weigh up to 30 pounds. Females, called ewes, have smaller horns that curve slightly to a sharp point within the first four years of life.
Uploaded
October 8th, 2017
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