Desert Bighorn Sheep

by Robert Bales

Title

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

Found these two while visiting Zion National Park in Utah!

The desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) is a subspecies of bighorn sheep found in the desert Southwest United States and the northern regions of Mexico. The trinomial of this species commemorates the American naturalist Edward William Nelson (1855-1934). The characteristics and behavior of desert bighorn sheep generally follow those of other bighorn sheep, except for adaptation to the lack of water in the desert; bighorn sheep can go for extended periods of time without drinking water.
Populations of the desert bighorn sheep declined drastically with European colonization of the American Southwest beginning in the 16th century. . These declines were followed by a period of population stabilization ascribed to conservation measures.[ As of 2004, desert bighorn sheep numbers remain extremely low, although the overall population trend has increased since 1960
The desert bighorn has become well adapted to living in the desert heat and cold and, unlike most mammals, their body temperature can safely fluctuate several degrees. During the heat of the day, they often rest in the shade of trees and caves.
Southern desert 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% of their body weight and still survive. After drinking water, they quickly recover from their dehydrated condition. Wildlife ecologists are just beginning to study the importance of this adaptive strategy, which has allowed small bands of desert bighorns to survive in areas too dry for many of their predators.
Zion National Park, in conjunction with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), proposes to perform management actions on desert bighorn sheep within the Park. Desert bighorn, a native species, were previously extirpated and reintroduced to the Park in 1973, and have grown to a herd size of more than 500 animals within their habitat on and off of Zion National Park, according to UDWR bighorn program manager Dustin Schaible. Since the core population exists both within and outside the Park, UDWR will perform management actions both inside and outside of the Park; however, this proposal will focus on management actions within the Park.

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April 19th, 2015

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