Bighorn Sheep Female Skull

Description

Bighorn Sheep Female Skull Replica measures 10.6 inches. Bighorn sheep female skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Horns measure 10.6 in. Made in USA. Cast of an original California Academy of Sciences specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The characteristics and behavior of Desert bighorn sheep or Ovis canadensis generally follow those of other bighorn sheep, except for adaptation to the lack of water in the desert. They can go for extended periods of time without drinking water.

Bighorn sheep or Ovis canadensis are stocky, heavy-bodied sheep, similar in size to mule deer. Weights of mature rams range from 115 to 280 pounds, while ewes are somewhat smaller.

Due to their unique concave elastic hooves, Bighorn sheep are able to climb the steep, rocky terrain of the desert mountains with speed and agility. They rely on their keen eyesight to detect potential predators, such as mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats, and they use their climbing ability to escape.

Bighorn sheep or Ovis canadensis typically live for 10 to 20 years. The typical diet of a bighorn sheep is mainly grasses. When grasses are unavailable, they turn to other food sources, such as sedges, forbs, or cacti.

Bighorn sheep are adapted to a desert mountain environment with little or no permanent water. Some may go without visiting water for weeks or months, sustaining their body moisture from food and from rainwater collected in temporary rock pools. They may have the ability to lose up to 30 percent of their body weight and still survive.

Bighorn sheep or Ovis canadensis are social, forming herds of eight to 10 individuals; sometimes herds of 100 are observed.

Rams battle to determine the dominant animal, which then gains possession of the ewes. Facing each other, rams charge head-on from distances of 20 feet or more, crashing their massive horns together with tremendous impact, until one or the other ceases.

Bighorn Sheep Facts:

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Genus: Ovis
Species: O. canadensis
Binomial name: Ovis canadensis

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