Stones Sheep by Ghirin

Stones Sheep

Author: Ghirin

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Stone’s sheep (Ovis dalli stonei) is one of the two subspecies of North American thinhorn sheep; the other subspecies is Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli). The major distinction between Stone’s sheep and Dall’s sheep is color: Stone’s sheep may be grey, brown, or black while Dall’s sheep is well known for its white fur. In both subspecies, the horns of the ram are less massive than those of the bighorn sheep, thus the name thinhorn.

Although Stone's sheep are well-adapted to a range of elevations and temperatures, they prefer steep, rocky regions and are attracted by open alpine meadows containing a variety of grasses and succulent, low-growing vegetation. In captivity, the natural diet of these sheep is supplemented with alfalfa and grain pellets. In the wild, these animals will eagerly seek out mineral licks containing salt.

Gregarious animals, Stone's sheep sometimes gather in herds of over 100 individuals. In the wild, herds consist of a dominant ewe and a mixture of ewes, yearlings, and lambs. Rams travel in small bands of their own, joining the females during the mating season.

Stone's sheep are very alert and, in addition to possessing keen hearing and a good sense of smell, have remarkable vision that allows them to judge distances accurately when jumping and locating footholds. They can spot other animals moving from up to a mile away. Stone's sheep hooves are hard on the outside and soft on the inside, and so act as shock absorbers, contributing to the sheep's ability to rapidly scramble up rocky terrain.

Stone’s sheep is less abundant than Dall’s sheep and has a smaller distribution, ranging from the British Columbian/Yukon border into the central Yukon.

Created by Ghirin 2003

Updated 2010-11-06

Just to save space with less in zip and smaller image.

Nothing new.