Habitat
Due to recent advancements in genetic and morphologic evidence, scientists debate between the different subspecies of bighorns. However, many biologists recognize six extant categories.
| Population | |||
|
1. Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep |
(O. canadensis canadensis) |
31,500-41,500 |
|
|
2. Mexicana Bighorn Sheep |
(O. canadensis mexicana) |
6,000 |
Desert Population |
|
3. Nelson Bighorn Sheep |
(O. canadensis nelsoni) |
13,000 |
Desert Population |
|
4. Peninsular Bighorn Sheep |
(O. canadensis cremnobates) |
3,000 |
Desert Population |
|
5. Weems Bighorn Sheep |
(O. canadensis weemsi) |
<1,000 |
Desert Population |
|
6. California Bighorn Sheep |
(O. canadensis californiana) |
10,500 |
|
|
7. Audubon Bighorn Sheep |
(O. canadensis Audubon) |
-------- |
EXTINCT |
As the name suggests, the subspecies of bighorn sheep are differentiated by the location in which they inhabit.
- Rocky Mountain bighorns, commonly called
mountain sheep, live in a large habitat, ranging from British Columbia down into
southern Colorado. Measuring up to
six feet long and weighing up to 300 pounds,
Rocky Mountain bighorns are the largest of the Ovis canadensis.
- Desert Sheep is an all-encompassing term for four subspecies of bighorns - O. c. mexicana, O. c. nelsoni, O. c. cremnobates, and O. c. weemsi. They are smaller then Rocky Mountain bighorns, weighing up to 225 pounds and having thinner, but more elongated horns. They inhabit most of the southwestern United States including California, Texas, Nevada, southern Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Mexico.
- At one time, another subspecies of bighorns once existed. Audubon bighorn inhabited parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming, but became extinct in 1925.