Also known as: Bighorn Sheep
Large, brown sheep with heavy, curved horns and a conspicuous white rump patch. Males are called rams, females are called ewes.
Habitat & Range
Inhabit rugged, mountainous terrain โ specifically bluffs and steep slopes with limited vegetation and clear sightlines. Formerly lived in the isolated mountain ranges of Trans-Pecos Texas. Native populations were wiped out from the state in 1959, when the total population was estimated at just 14 individuals. They have been recently re-introduced in protected areas of their former native range, and small wild populations now exist once again in those areas.
Life History
At night, the sheep rest on steep rocky slopes, rim tops, or slopes between bluffs โ positions offering excellent protection from predators by allowing visibility in all directions but uphill. Rocks dislodged by an uphill predator would provide warning. They sleep clustered together on bare ground, and frequently used beds have feces and a strong urine odor. Diet shifts with seasonal plant availability. Typical desert plants such as sotol, yucca, and ocotillo are popular, along with prickly pear and wild onions. They rarely need water, obtaining sufficient moisture from green, succulent vegetation. Breeding season begins in November. Rams fight for mates; smaller, weaker males often cannot compete with older, stronger ones. Rams move among flocks to breed. Lambs arrive in late spring to early summer. Ewes usually have just one lamb, but sometimes they have twins. Newborns are weak and helpless but develop quickly โ after just one week they can see and walk.
Status, Trends & Threats
The species was extirpated from Texas by 1959, when the total population was estimated at just 14 individuals. They have been recently re-introduced in protected areas of their former native range, and small wild populations now exist once again in those areas. No formal state or federal conservation listing is noted on the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Mountain Sheep need to drink water?
No โ they are well-adapted to arid environments and rarely need water, getting enough from the succulent plants they eat.
Where do Mountain Sheep sleep?
They sleep grouped together on bare ground atop steep, rocky slopes or rims. Bedding areas are not lined with anything, and heavily used ones accumulate feces and a strong urine smell.
How many young do they have?
Ewes typically bear one lamb, occasionally twins, born in late spring or early summer. Lambs are initially weak but mature rapidly โ within one week they can see and walk.
