Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

I love the wildlife in the Rocky Mountains and one of my favourites to photograph is the Bighorn Sheep.

These stunning wild sheep look their best during winter when their fur is nice and thick. The rams are famous for their big curled horns. The ewes on the other hand have small horns that don’t curl.

We came across this herd at Abraham Lake in Alberta, and they didn’t mind posing for photos.

Male big horn sheep, also called rams, with their large curled horns

You are supposed to be able to tell the age of a bighorn sheep by counting the ‘black rings’ on their horns and adding 1 1/2 year. I am no expert but I would say the ram in the picture above is 5 1/2 years old minimum as I believe I can see at least 4 distinct rings on the horns.

The female bighorn sheep, ewes, only develop small horns

 Bighorns are the largest of the North American wild sheep. Adult rams weigh up to 135 kg (300 lb.) while the ewes are much smaller, averaging 70 kg (150 lb.).

Also the younger Bighorn sheep make great models – just look at this adorable juvenile! Without being a biologist I would assume this is one of last years lambs.

 

Are you looking at me? 

 Thank you for reading. Comments are much appreciated, I would love to hear what you think about my photo series on the Bighorn Sheep!