If you think all the way back to last week you will remember me saying that this week will be a themed week.  Luckily one of our readers, Agapelife, posted a few suggestions for that theme.  You can probably guess by the Bighorn Sheep title that I chose to dedicate this week to “Animals of the Canadian Rockies”.  I thought this was a great idea considering I can see a mountain or two from my house.  The Bighorn Sheep is scientifically known as Ovis canadensis but also has other names like Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, California Bighorn Sheep or just plain old Mountain Bighorn.  Since we are focusing on the mountains of the Canadian Rockies you won’t hear me calling them by their California name.

The Bighorn Sheep are well known for their amazing, gigantic horns which curl around and can be used as a battering ram.  In fact, this is probably why the male bighorns are called rams.  When the males choose to fight each other, which is usually done to dictate dominance or mating rights, the two rams will simply face each other, back up onto their hind legs and run full force at each other.  Believe it or not these male mountain bighorn sheep usually charge each other at speeds of 32 km/hr (20 mph).  Even more amazingly is the fact that they don’t just do this head jousting match once.  No ma’am, they may continue this for hours until one gives up and walks away.  Luckily the bighorn sheep has a thick skull to prevent any serious injuries.  You could just imagine the headache this would cause and of course it is all for the affection of the beautiful lady bighorn.  I was going to say something about ladies always causing headaches but that would be rude so I will refrain myself.

As you can imagine you will find the Rocky Mountain Bighorns in the Rocky Mountains which extend all the way from Canada to New Mexico.  They are able to easily walk around the mountains since they have split hooves which provides them with more balance.  As well, the bottom of their hooves are very rough which allows them to stick to the mountain like glue.   As winter comes the bighorn sheep will smartly move down the mountain in order to continue grazing on grasses, plants and other vegetation. Just like a cow this mountain bighorn will chew their cud.   Yep, this means they will regurgitate their food before eating it again.  YUMMY!!

Bighorn Sheep Fast Fact – You know those big horns the rams are always fighting with?  Well they can weigh up to 14 kg (30 lbs).  Imagine carrying 30 pounds on your head all day.  Interestingly enough these horns weigh more then all the bones in their bodies, combined!

I hope you enjoyed the first animal of the Canadian Rockies  as we have four more to go.  And you will want to make sure you are around for the entire week as I plan on unveiling something new and exciting this week.  That is where I will leave it for now.  Have a great day!