Wild Species
Rocky Mountain Bighorn
This big old ram was with about a dozen other rams, but he was the biggest of the bunch.
Check out that heavy set of horns that he is keeping brommed off so that they don't impede his vision, otherwise they would be a full curl and then some, making him very desirable for some sheep hunter.
Unlike deer and elk, bighorn sheep rams start growing their horns at birth and continue to grow their horns throughout their lifespan. They do not shed their horns like deer or elk shed their antlers. Instead, their horns grow until the animal dies.
Within each horn there is a living core that provides a continuous flow of blood beneath the hard sheath. The horns are made of keratin, which is the same material that fingernails and hooves are made of, and is a fast growing substance.
Rams’ horns typically grow tremendously until the ram gets old and fully mature. At this point, the horn growth slows down quite a bit. Yet, as the ram becomes fully mature like this ram, the horns grow more in mass, becoming thicker. As the bighorn rams age and go through the summer and winter a growth ring is created. For each year that passes, a ring is reflected in a ram’s horn and is often referred to as “growth rings” or “annuli rings.”
The ring is created when the animal is under stress, which is usually caused by rutting or mating rituals in which they are not thinking about feeding and maintaining their nutrition, but only trying to breed the opposite sex.
These seasonal rings directly correspond with their respective mating seasons. The first part of horn that a ram grows is called a “lamb tip,” which usually gets broomed off as the ram’s life continues. Brooming occurs when a ram rubs, wears or knocks off his horn because of eating, fighting and rubbing their horns.
Click on the photo for a closer look.....
I left home very early to shoot photos of Bighorn sheep, and here is the home range where I found them.....
http://www.jerryclement.ca/Outdoor-Pursuits/DawnThreader/i-XPxVZgX
Six in a line.....
http://www.jerryclement.ca/Outdoor-Pursuits/WildBirds/i-FmFWkg5
