Bighorn sheep

Ovis canadensis
Male (ram)
Female (ewe)
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Caprinae
Genus:	Ovis
Binomial name
Ovis canadensis

The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is a species of sheep that lives in the western half of North America.^[2][3][4][5] Their name comes from their large horns. Their horns can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg). However, the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg).

Genetic testing showed that there are three subspecies of bighorn sheep:^[6][4]

• Sierra Nevada bighorn (O. c. sierrae) (endangered)
• Desert bighorn (O. c. nelsoni)
• Rocky Mountain bighorn (O. c. canadensis)
• Ovis canadensis auduboni (extinct)

1. ↑ Festa-Bianchet, M. (2020). "Bighorn Sheep: Ovis canadensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T15735A22146699. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T15735A22146699.en. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
2. ↑ "Bighorn Sheep". United States National Park Service. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
3. ↑ "Desert Bighorn Sheep". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Bighorn Sheep". National Wildlife Foundation. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
5. ↑ Allen J.A. 1912. [1] Archived 2015-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Historical and nomenclatorial notes on North American sheep. Bulletin of the AMNH v. 31, article 1
6. ↑ "Peninsular Desert Bighorn Sheep". California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved July 22, 2021.