--- title: "Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "Horns weighing up to thirty pounds, head-first charges at up to forty mph, and hooves shaped to snag any slight protrusion." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/bighorn-sheep-1.webp" published: "2026-09-01" updated: "2026-09-23" --- # Bighorn Sheep (*Ovis canadensis*) > **Status**: Checked against 7 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: Horns weighing up to thirty pounds, head-first charges at up to forty mph, and hooves shaped to snag any slight protrusion. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Saharan Desert Rock & Tuareg Shred // Mdou Moctar, "Chismiten" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/5RHN9R3BqScU4Jzu84U7pZ) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y23ewhFf_hs) > **Vibe Match**: Looping guitar riffs that crash back in again and again, for rams that rear up and pitch forward at each other at up to 64 kilometers per hour. The ritual repeats until one ram concedes and walks away. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Ovis canadensis* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-2.rlts.t15735a22146699.en)) - **Superpower**: A double-layered skull shored with struts of bone and a massive tendon linking skull to spine; the thick, bony skull absorbs repeated head-on clashes at up to 40 mph with little injury to the ram. - **Habitat**: Alpine meadows, grassy mountain slopes and foothills near rugged, rocky cliffs in the Rocky Mountains, plus a desert subspecies from Nevada and California to west Texas and Mexico - **Diet**: Grasses, clover and sedges in warmer months, switching to woody plants like willow and sage in colder months; desert sheep often eat holly and cactus - **Tags**: ungulate, mountains, herbivore, horns ## Natural History & Behavior ## Built to Ram The bighorn sheep (*Ovis canadensis*) has a compact, muscular body, and it is one of two wild sheep species in North America with large horns. Most weigh 73 to 113 kilograms (160 to 250 pounds), but males may weigh more than 159 kilograms (350 pounds) and stand around 102 centimeters (40 inches) at the shoulder. A bighorn's lifespan is about 10 years, and the record in captivity is 20.6 years. ## The Headbutt Physics Mating season comes in the fall, when rams fight for dominance or mating rights. They rear up on their hind legs and pitch forward at each other at up to 64 kilometers per hour (40 mph), and the crash of horns can be heard up to a mile away. The ritual repeats until one ram concedes and walks away. The skull is built for it: thick and bony, it absorbs the repeated impact with little injury to the ram. It is double-layered and shored with struts of bone, while a broad, massive tendon linking skull to spine helps the head pivot and recoil from blows. > **Horns that can weigh as much as the rest of his skeleton** A ram's curved horns can weigh up to 14 kilograms (30 pounds), as much as the rest of the bones in his body. An older ram's horns can grow over 0.9 meters (three feet) long. ## Living on the Edge Bighorns live in the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to Colorado, and a desert subspecies ranges from Nevada and California to west Texas and south into Mexico. The species has three living subspecies: the Rocky Mountain, Sierra Nevada and desert bighorns. In warmer months they eat grasses, clover and sedges, switching to woody plants like willow and sage in colder months, and desert sheep often eat holly and cactus. A complex four-part stomach lets them eat large portions fast, then retreat to cliffs or ledges to rechew their food, safe from predators. Though not as agile as mountain goats, bighorns are well equipped for climbing the steep terrain that keeps their predators at bay. The outer hoof is a modified toenail shaped to snag any slight protrusion, while a soft inner pad grips and conforms to each surface. Their mountain habitat has ledges sometimes only five centimeters (two inches) wide, and it gives cover from predators such as coyotes, golden eagles, mountain lions, bears and Canada lynx. A 2013 to 2017 GPS-collar study of two Arizona desert populations found that sheep using more rugged areas and steeper slopes were less likely to be killed by a mountain lion. Bigger groups also cut the risk, though the benefit became marginal at about ten sheep a group. ## Shrinking Trophies In one wild population, sport hunting drove evolution: rams' body weight and horn size declined significantly over time. A 30-year study of that population, where trophy hunting targeted rams with rapidly growing horns, found both traits were highly heritable. The rams hunters shot had higher genetic value for weight and horn size than the rams they spared, and they were shot at an early age, so they did not achieve high breeding success. Under unrestricted trophy hunting, the population's genetic averages for both traits fell, leaving smaller-horned, lighter rams and fewer trophies. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How fast do bighorn rams charge when they clash horns? Rival rams rear up on their hind legs and pitch forward at speeds up to 64 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour). The loud crash of horns can be heard up to a mile away. *(Source: [Rocky Mountain National Park, National Park Service]())* ### How much do a ram's horns weigh? A ram's curved horns can weigh up to 14 kilograms (30 pounds), as much as the rest of the bones in his body. Ewes grow horns too, but theirs stay short with only a slight curve. *(Source: [National Wildlife Federation, Wildlife Guide]())* ### How do bighorn sheep grip near-vertical cliffs? The outer hoof is a modified toenail shaped to snag any slight protrusion, while a soft inner pad grips and conforms to each surface. Their steep habitat has ledges sometimes only five centimeters (two inches) wide. *(Source: [National Wildlife Federation, Wildlife Guide]())* ### Did trophy hunting actually make bighorn rams smaller? Yes, in at least one long-studied wild population. A 30-year study found that horn size and body weight were both highly heritable there, and that rams of high genetic value for both traits were shot at an early age, so they did not achieve high breeding success. Under unrestricted trophy hunting, the population's genetic averages for weight and horn size declined, leaving smaller-horned, lighter rams. *(Source: [Coltman et al. 2003]())* ## Sources 1. [Bighorn Sheep. National Wildlife Federation, Wildlife Guide.]() 2. [Bighorn Sheep. Rocky Mountain National Park, National Park Service.]() 3. [Ovis canadensis (bighorn sheep). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 4. [Ovis canadensis. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.]() 5. [Festa-Bianchet (2020). Ovis canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T15735A22146699.]() 6. [Coltman et al. (2003). Undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting. Nature.]() 7. [Jones et al. (2022). Desert bighorn sheep habitat selection, group size, and mountain lion predation risk. The Journal of Wildlife Management.]() *Published September 1, 2026. 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