Bighorns are found
in North America in the deserts and mountains, but rarely go to areas where they can sense
humans. Bighorns are generally active during the day, feeding morning, noon and evening,
then lying down to chew their cud. They retire to their bedding areas for the night, which
may be used for many years.
They have a
brown coat, which turns to bluish-grey in winter. They're called "bighorn"
because of the size of the horns of the ram, which often measure over 1 m/3.3 ft round the
curve.
The horns curl back over the ears, down and up past the cheeks. By the time a ram
reaches 7 or 8 years of age, he can have a set of horns with a full curl and a spread o
f up to 33 inches.
Ewes, the females, are slightly smaller than the rams and have shorter, smaller horns that
never exceed half a curl.
Bighorn sheep mate in the winter and their lambs are born six and a half months later.
They have pads on their feet that help them grip on steep rocky terrain.
