The day that the Big Horn Sheep came down to our house in Estes Park a few weeks ago was really incredible! Phil and I stood at our window downstairs and clicked away. We were taking photographs through the window and the sheep didn’t even know we were there.
I loved this photograph of two of the rams. You can see such a difference in their horns. The one in the back’s horns are so much bigger and heavier than the one in the front.
In doing a little research I learned that “Bighorn” is a well-deserved name, because the circumference of a ram’s horns can be 18″ at the base. Wow! The curled horns can be 43″ in length and spread 26 from tip to tip. Heavy ridges, the pattern of which is unique to each individual, run transversely across the horn. A deep groove forms each winter, which makes it possible to determine a sheep’s age from its horns.
A ewe’s horns are shorter and more flattened from side to side than a ram’s. Also a ewe’s horns never curl around to form a half circle, whereas an older ram’s horns sometimes form a full curl or more.
I called my friend and neighbor, who is a former science teacher and park ranger, and he helped me out a lot. He said that the ram in the front is about 2 to 2.5 years old and the one in the back is about 3 to 3.5 years old. The base on the rams is much larger than on the females. Ewe horns appear quite delicate in comparison. Horn growth, teeth condition and body size/musculature are more accurate age indicators than the curl alone. Unlike the elk whose antlers are made of calcium and fall off each year, the ram’s horns are made of the same kind of material as our fingernails and they last a lifetime. They sit on a little bony “knob” on top of their heads. I thought this was very interesting. Thank you, David!
They certainly are beautiful animals and we are so fortunate to have them live so close to us in Estes Park.
Tags: Big Horn Sheep, Colorado, Colorado Weather, Estes Park, Outdoor Adventure, Outdoor Eyes, Outdoor Photography, RMNP & Estes Park Wildlife, RMNP Back Country, Rocky Mountain National Park News
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