Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep |
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| Ewes and lambs on Wheeler Crest | |
| 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. sierrae
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| Trinomial name | |
| Ovis canadensis sierrae (Grinnell, 1912)
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The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) is a special type of bighorn sheep. It lives only in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and Nevada.
Scientists studied their genes in 2016. They found that Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are quite different from other bighorn sheep in North America. These include the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and the desert bighorn sheep. Because they are so unique and rare, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep were listed as an endangered animal in 2000. By 2016, there were more than 600 of these bighorn sheep living in the wild.
Contents
What They Look Like
Sierra bighorn sheep can be white to dark brown. They have a white patch on their rear and a dark tail. Their fur changes a bit with the seasons. They shed a thicker winter coat as the weather gets warmer.
These sheep have special hooves with sticky soles. This helps them grip and climb steep, rocky places. Female bighorn sheep, called ewes, can weigh up to 70 kilograms (155 pounds). They have shorter, thinner horns. Male bighorn sheep, called rams, can weigh as much as 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Rams have huge, curving horns. Both rams' and ewes' horns are made of a strong material called keratin, which covers a bone core.
Sierra bighorn sheep usually live for about 8 to 12 years.
Life Cycle and Behavior
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep like to live in groups. The size and makeup of these groups change depending on the time of year and whether they are male or female. Males and females often live apart for most of the year, except during mating season.
Female bighorn sheep usually stay with the same group they were born into. Males older than two years old live separately from females and younger males for most of the year. In late fall and winter, the groups come together. They gather in areas that are good for winter living. During this time, males will fight for who is strongest, often by clashing their horns.
Breeding happens in late fall, usually in November and December. Baby lambs are born between late April and early July. They are born on safe, steep, rocky slopes. Most lambs in the Sierra Nevada are born in May and June. Ewes and their lambs often stay in steep areas. These places offer many different spots to hide from danger.
Where They Live
Sierra bighorn sheep live in parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Their home stretches from Yosemite National Park down to Olancha Peak. They can be found from the eastern base of the mountains, as low as 1,460 meters (4,790 feet), up to peaks higher than 4,300 meters (14,100 feet).
These sheep prefer open, rocky areas. These places have few plants and are known for steep slopes and canyons. Bighorn sheep like open ground where they can see far away. This helps them spot predators early. It also gives them enough time to reach steep, rocky areas where they can escape. They usually try to avoid forests and thick bushes.
Most bighorn sheep live at high elevations, from 3,000 to 4,300 meters (10,000 to 14,000 feet), in subalpine and alpine areas during the summer. In winter, some stay on high, windy ridges. Others move to lower elevations to avoid deep snow and find food.
What They Eat
Sierra bighorn sheep are plant-eaters with four-chambered stomachs. They are mainly grazers. This means they eat different kinds of grasses, forbs (flowering plants), and woody plants. What they eat depends on the season and where they are. They also find natural mineral licks. These licks provide important minerals for their bones and muscles to grow.
Why They Are Endangered
For many years, too much hunting, diseases, and attacks from mountain lions greatly harmed the Sierra bighorn population. However, diseases caused the biggest problem. Starting in the 1870s, domestic sheep passed on serious diseases, especially pneumonia from a type of bacteria called Pasteurella.
By the 1970s, only about 250 animals were left. They lived in just two small areas of their once large home. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) moved some bighorn sheep to new areas. This helped to bring back herds in places where they used to live. But even with these efforts, the population dropped to a low of about 100 animals in 1995. Because of this, on January 3, 2000, Sierra bighorn sheep were officially listed as an endangered animal.
Helping Them Recover
In 1999, the CDFW became the main agency in charge of helping Sierra bighorn sheep recover. A group of people worked together to create the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Plan. The CDFW then started the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program. This program works to reach the goals of the Recovery Plan.
Since then, conditions have been good for the population to grow. The total number of bighorn sheep reached about 250 by 2002 and about 600 by 2016. The Recovery Program continues to watch how the population grows. They also study where the sheep live and what causes them to die. They also keep moving and adding bighorn sheep to new areas to help them reach their recovery goals.
In 2014, fourteen Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep were flown by helicopter to Big Arroyo in Sequoia National Park. This helped to start a new group of sheep on the western side of the Sierra Crest.
Images for kids
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Ram and ewes
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