Badlands bighorn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Badlands bighorn |
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| Only known photo of a Badlands bighorn | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Genus: | Ovis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
†O. c. auduboni
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| Trinomial name | |
| Ovis canadensis auduboni Merriam, 1901
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The Badlands bighorn, also known as Audubon's bighorn sheep, was a type of bighorn sheep. Its scientific name was Ovis canadensis auduboni. This animal used to live in the northern Great Plains of North America. Sadly, it is now extinct, meaning it no longer exists anywhere in the world.
Some scientists disagree about whether the Badlands bighorn was truly its own unique kind of bighorn sheep. They think it might have just been a different group of the more common Rocky Mountain Bighorn.
Where Did the Badlands Bighorn Live?
Even though its common name mentions the Badlands region, this bighorn sheep lived in a much larger area. Its home included parts of Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. This wide area is part of the Great Plains.
When Did They Disappear?
Most experts agree that the Badlands bighorn sheep disappeared because people hunted them too much. Some sources say they were hunted to extinction in the early 1900s. Other records suggest that the last ones might have lived until 1926.
Today, the areas where the Badlands bighorn used to live are now home to Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep. These sheep were brought in to replace the ones that disappeared.
Was It a Unique Animal?
Biologists named Wehausen and Ramey studied the Badlands bighorn. They believed it was not a special subspecies. Instead, they thought it was just a different version of the widespread Rocky Mountain Bighorn. More recent studies also suggest that the Badlands bighorn might not have been a distinct subspecies after all.
