Desert Bighorn Sheep are huge mammals found living in the United States in the Mojave, Colorado and the Sonoran Deserts. They are adapted to harsh climates and environments that experience high temperatures and low precipitation. Desert Bighorn Sheep are very fast animals with sharp vision that often allows them to successfully detect and escape their predators.

Check out our interesting facts about the survival of Bighorn Sheep in the deserts of the United States, why they are endangered and what adaptations they have had to make to avoid potential threats and danger. Our Desert Bighorn Sheep facts sheet for kids provide printable information about this mammal's location, size, lifespan, habitat, horns, characteristics, diet, predators, adaptations and the lifecycle of Desert Bighorn Sheep.

Interesting Facts about the Desert Bighorn Sheep:- Discover Fun Desert Bighorn Sheep Facts for children with Factsmania! Find out how the Desert Bighorn Sheep has adapted to survive life in the Colorado, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts where the climate conditions are often extremely hot and dry, and there is a distinct lack of water and plant life.

Interesting Facts about the Desert Bighorn Sheep:- Discover why this mammal species is important and Bighorn Sheep manage to survive life in hot biomes while avoiding threats from potential predators. Print out out interesting Desert Bighorn Sheep facts for kids with info about this animal's location, habitat, predators, characteristics, weight, diet, size, lifespan, horns, adaptations, and lifecycle.

Interesting Desert Bighorn Sheep Facts for Kids

Desert Bighorn Sheep Fact File for Kids:- Bighorn Sheep Name Facts:  Males: Rams, Females: Ewes ***Family: The Bighorn Sheep belongs to the Bovidae Family *** Bighorn Sheep Classification: Ruminant Mammal *** Bighorn Sheep Size: up to 104cm tall and 200cm long*** Bighorn Sheep Lifespan:  10 years to  20 years depending on gender *** Desert Bighorn Sheep Location Facts: Mojave Desert, Colorado Desert and the Sonoran Desert

Interesting Facts for Kids 1:- What does a Desert Bighorn Sheep look like?
Desert Bighorn Sheep are very solid, muscular animals, with big bodies and short legs. They have narrow and pointed muzzles, and short ears. One of their biggest advantages is their acute eyesight that allows them to jump from rock to rock. Their hooves are sharp-edged, concave and elastic. They have a smooth coat made out of two layers. The first layer is characterized by a short, wavy coat. The second layer consists of longer stiff guard hair. During summer, their coat has a very glossy brown color while in winter the color fades. Male Bighorn Sheep are also called rams. They have brown horns that curl back over their ears. The females, also known as ewes, have smaller horns than the rams.

Interesting Facts for Kids 2:- Where does the Desert Bighorn Sheep live?
Desert Bighorn Sheep can be found living in the Mojave Desert, Colorado Desert and the Sonoran Desert. They can be seen in the Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park or the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Once, Bighorn Sheep existed in the west part of North America but unfortunately, by the 1920's the species were removed from Oregon, Texas, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and from some parts in Mexico. Nowadays, there is a new strategy in place to repopulate these areas by transplanting healthy sheep.

Interesting Facts for Kids 3:- What is the size of a Desert Bighorn Sheep?
Desert Bighorn Sheep can grow very big. The males grow up to the height of around 91-104 cm tall at the shoulder, and ewes are smaller with females typically growing to around 76-91 cm tall. Rams grow to around 180-200 cm long from the nose to the tail. Again, ewes are smaller and grow to around 140-170cm long. Males can weigh between 127 and 316lb, and females from 75 to 188lb. There are differences between Desert Bighorn Sheep from different territories. For example, the Desert Bighorn Sheep from the Rocky Mountains are extremely big. Rams from the Rockies weight more than 500lb while the females, the ewes, exceed 200 lb. The Desert Bighorn Sheep from Sierra Nevada are smaller in size with the males weighing about 200lb and females approximately 140lb. Their horns alone can be extremely heavy, some of them weigh up to around 30lb. Horns are a very important feature that Desert Bighorn Sheep use in disputing dominance over a territory or a female.

Interesting Facts for Kids 4:- What is the lifespan of a Desert Bighorn Sheep?
The lifespan of a Desert Bighorn Sheep varies between male and female species. The ewes tend to live longer with a typical lifespan of 12 to 20 years, while the males tend tend to achieve a more limited lifespan of around 10 to 13 years maximum.

Interesting Facts for Kids 5:- What is the lifecycle of a Desert Bighorn Sheep?
The Desert Bighorn Sheep's gestation period is about six months. There is usually one lamb, rarely twins. Most of the births take place from February to March. When the lambs are born, they have light-colored coats and little buds, and they are weaned until they reach five months. The lamb gains the ability to walk and climb within a day. The little Desert Bighorn Sheep will stay with its mother for the first year. Depending on the season, there can be a 10% survive rate or 80% survive rate. Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 5 years or older. Females instead tend to breed earlier.

Interesting Facts for Kids 6:- What is the diet of a Desert Bighorn Sheep?
The Desert Bighorn Sheep is a ruminant herbivore. They gave a very strong digestive system that allows them to eat all kinds of plants - cacti, shrubs, grasses and some small trees. They get most of the water they require from the plants they eat. During summer, when the desert climate is much hotter, Bighorn Sheep travel to find springs or other water sources every three days. Their diet depends also on the season; during the summer they eat sedges or grasses and during the winter they eat types of woody plants such as sage, willow, rabbit brush.

Interesting Facts for Kids 7:- What are the Desert Bighorn Sheep predators?
The Desert Bighorn Sheep has various predators. Some of their main predators include mountain lions, coyotes and bobcats. Strong eyesight and the ability to climb helps them to avoid and escape their predators. Desert Bighorn Sheep can run very quickly reaching speeds of 48km/h (30miles per/hr) on flat terrain and 24km/h (15 miles per/hr) when climbing mountain slopes.

Interesting Facts for Kids 8:- Desert Bighorn Sheep horns
Desert Bighorn Sheep have horns which are a very important feature as they allow them to display dominance, particularly the male species, rams, who show dominance over territory and female Bighorn Sheep. Their horns are big and heavy, and can weight up to 30lb and grow to a full curl of around 30cm. Rams will clash horns in a fight for dominance (brooming) and will sometimes break off the ends of their horns. Ewes also have horns, but they are much smaller and grow to half a curl as opposed to a full curl like the male Desert Bighorn Sheep species.

Interesting Facts for Kids 9:- What are the adaptations of a Desert Bighorn Sheep?
Unlike most mammals, the Desert Bighorn Sheep has the ability to fluctuate its body temperature. During high temperatures, it hides in tall grass and looks for shady places. Desert Bighorn Sheep can survive with little or no water, and can in fact go without drinking water for weeks and even for months. They gather water the food they consume and rainwater collected in rock pools. This remarkable animal can lose up to 30% of their body weight and still survive, and once they hydrate their recovery is immediate.

Interesting Facts for Kids 10:- What is the habitat of a Desert Bighorn Sheep?
Bighorn Sheep seem to prefer the open landscape because it's easier to detect predators, and for the same reason, they tend to avoid dense vegetation. They like rocky and rough terrain, near springs and plateaus because they find themselves closer to areas which provide food. Desert Bighorn Sheep are fast, they can reach 48km/h (30mph) in open fields and 24km/h (15mph) when they climb up the mountain slopes.

Interesting Facts for Kids 11:- Why are Desert Bighorn Sheep Endangered?
Because of the habitat changes, the Desert Bighorn Sheep is in danger. Almost one third of the Desert Bighorn Sheep population has died in the past 100 years, mainly caused by excessive hunting and changes in global temperature. As the climate has grown hotter and overall precipitation has decreased, the Desert Bighorn Sheep population is finding it harder to survive. There are fewer springs and fewer food sources available to these animals. Desert Bighorn Sheep are adapted for the desert and can survive without drinking water, but even the plants they eat do not contain the amount of water they require.

Interesting Facts for Kids 12:- Desert Bighorn Sheep Endangered Species Facts:
In 1996, there were only 280 animals remaining for the population of the peninsular Bighorn Sheep. The figures indicate that the species has become threatened so the Desert Bighorn Sheep was included on the federal endangered species list. Because of this, the Desert Bighorn Sheep are protected and the result is visible. Now, the Desert Bighorn Sheep population counts approximately 600 individuals.

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