Defenders Magazine
Get Defenders Headlines
Get the latest wildlife conservation news and information... right when we post it online.
Defenders Magazine
Species Spotlight: Peninsular Range Bighorn Sheep
It’s easy to see why these sheep are called "bighorns," but it’s not immediately apparent what makes the peninsular bighorns different from other similarly endowed wild sheep in the West.
The answer is scarcity. While these animals may be good at butting heads with each other, they’ve fared poorly in butting heads with humans.
This subspecies of bighorns lives on the slopes of the peninsular ranges in southern California. To evade mountain lions and other predators they need both steep topography and open terrain. And, because their home is hot and arid, the sheep require water sources and a wide range of land in which to forage. But golf courses, housing subdivisions and other human developments are increasingly pushing them off this habitat, and predation and disease are also taking a toll.
The population of peninsular bighorns hit a low of about 280 animals in 1996. Since then, thanks in large part to their inclusion on the federal endangered species list, their numbers have increased to about 600—offering hope that this nimble mountain dweller won’t fall off the precipice.
