A wild sheep of western North America named for its large horns. Its ancestors crossed from Siberia over the Bering land bridge. In the rut, rams lunge into head-butts, and their skulls are built to absorb the impact.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
Native Americans and early settlers prized its meat as the tastiest of American big game.
At a glance
Found inNorth America
HabitatMountains
ColoursBrown, White
SizeLarge
LengthMales 1.6–1.85 m (nose to tail)
HeightMales 90–105 cm at the shoulder
WeightMales 58–143 kg, females 34–91 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inherds
Lives for10–15 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Western North America, from southwestern Canada to Mexico.
- What it eats
- Grasses and shrubs; it also seeks out natural salt licks.
Did you know
Rams fight with head-on clashes, and their horns can weigh as much as all the bones in their body.
A ram’s horns can weigh 14 kg, as much as all the bones in its body.
By 1900 the population had crashed to a few thousand from livestock diseases and overhunting.
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