BIGHORN SHEEP

Bighorn Sheep, Ovis canadensis, lives in the western parts of Canada and USA.

It is February and the bighorns are still roaming the mountains together. Males, females and young, all  in one big group for the winter. It is easier to survive the cold months and  to evade predators in 

All members of this family have horns, permanent structures that grow from bony projections on the head. (Sheep, goats and antelopes have horns. Elk, deer and moose have bony antlers that are being shed each winter. Right Dad? My Dad would never forgive me if I called an antler a horn. That would have been the end of our relationship. Just kidding about the relationship.)


Male's massive horns are a symbol of his rank, bigger the horns more dominant the ram. They are tightly curled and might weigh as much as his entire skeletal system. Poor guy to haul this stuff about for all his life so he can bang heads with the other rams for the chance to procreate. For the CHANCE!

Horns are made mostly of keratin, (protein that forms human hair and nails is also keratin). Keratin is light-weight, elastic, strong and durable and the body is continually adding new layers to the existing ones for the most of the year. The growth stops in the fall and the cessation in the annual growth is clearly visible on the horn - a deeper and darker ring develops on the horns each winter marking the period of no-slow growth.  Those who are not as easily confused as I , can count the rings and tell the ram's age.

Ram's skull is reinforced by extra bones and the tendons of his neck are extremely massive. All this is needed for the protection of the brain and for the absorption of all those nasty blows during the rams' butting jousts. I will never forget the first time we heard those pistol-like sounds that echoed throughout Alberta mountains. We were in a truck driving at 100 km/hr and the sound of fighting rams was clearly audible inside the cabin although the windows were closed.

It is only February but his guy is probably practicing for the next  mating season in October, 

some 8 months away. 

Since all the ewes have mated in the fall and are now pregnant, the trees take the frustration, there were quite a few semi-naked trunks around at this location when we were there.

Females have smaller horns that stop growing after about 4 years.

They are handy for a bit of protection and also for establishing the relationship between the females. 

They do not butt heads like the guys, poking and prodding is a more feminine way to deal with ranking.

All young (born in May-June) stay with the family for the first two to four years of age. 

Eventually, usually after the females give birth, the young males will leave the band with the older rams to roam'n learn.

When Spring arrives, the matriarch of the group will lead the "girl" group to higher grounds in the mountains. She will choose a rocky terrain with steep cliffs where the sheep can find protection from predators.

 

The groups will disperse, the females will be taking care of the newborn and the young while the males of age will wonder off.

They (the boys) will travel together until October; looking for green pastures trying to grow strong,
practicing their sheep-martial arts and establishing their dominance over the other males.

They might even pause their roaming to have a look at the boy-toys in the local marina.

Or maybe not.

In any case, when traveling the Kootenay country, please always drive with care. 

It is not the humans who have the right of the way here.
 And that is the greatest thing about living in this part of the world.