Coal Creek Wildlife-Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn Sheep by Rachel C., age 9

If you hear a big clashing of horns, that tells you a bighorn sheep might be close to you. Their horns can be heard a mile away and it probably means

they're fighting. Two rams fight over the ewes by charging at each other. But before they start charging, they kick each other while growling at each other. A full grown bighorn, around 8 years of age, could reach 300 pounds. A few of the largest males weigh more. Females are smaller but they still weigh around 160 pounds. They are stocky and they are among the largest wild sheep in the world. Bighorns spend most of their time walking for hours, eating on grasses, sedges and other low growing plants. Coyote, cougars, grizzly bears and wolves hunt for bighorns, but they can almost always escape by climbing up a rocky cliff. They can climb up it because they have hooves like suction cups.

I got my information from MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE By Marj Dunmire & ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORNS By Kay McDearmon.

The Bighorn Sheep by Jenna B., age 8

If you are walking in the mountains and you see some rocks come tumbling down, don't worry, it's just a bighorn sheep. Did you know that the male bighorn sheep weighs 300 pounds? A female bighorn sheep weighs 160 pounds. The bighorn sheep are found from the Canadian Rockies to northern Mexico and east of the Cascades. The bighorns can see a grizzly bear a mile away. The bighorn's coat is brown on the outside and gray on the inside. The bighorns' enemies are the wolves, cougars, bears, and coyotes. The bighorns' food is grass, berries and sedges. Bighorns may live up to 20 years. The bighorns' horns do not fall off like deer or elk. The bighorns use their horns to fight. The males fight until one is seriously injured or dead. The male bighorns' horns curl. And the female's horns are straight. The bighorns' habitat is being endangered by people.

The book that I used was ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORNS by Kay McDearmon.

Bighorn Sheep by Julianne S., Age 9

A flash of lightning and a shake of thunder! On a cliff stands a bighorn sheep. From rock to rock the bighorn sheep jumps like an acrobat. The male bighorn sheep can weigh up to 300 pounds. Female bighorn sheep can weigh up to 160 pounds. They are 4 feet tall at the shoulder. The sheep's horns can weigh up to 30 pounds and are 50 inches long. The lines on a bighorn sheep's horns can tell how old they are. The color of the bighorn sheep is snowy white to glossy black. There are two different species of sheep: bighorn and thinhorn. Their enemies are coyotes. Bighorn sheep eat grasses, herbs, sedges and other low-growing plants.

I got my information from ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN by Kay McDermon.

Illustrated by Sarah K-M.

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