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Mammal. Also known as thinhorn, dall sheep are the northernmost wild sheep in the world. Their horns take up to 8 years to grow and are composed of keratin, the same material as our fingernails. The age of the sheep can be calculated from the number of growth rings on their horns. Dall sheep spend most of their lives on the jagged slopes of mountains. Their cloven hooves with rough pads help them cling to cliff edges and broken ledges, where they flock to elude predators. In spring and early summer, dall sheep often visit mineral licks to restore the nutrients they lost during the long winter. |
| Scientific
Name |
Lifespan |
| Ovis dall |
12-15 years |
| Diet |
| Herbivore. Grasses, sedges, lichens, broad-leaved plants, dwarf willows and mosses. |
| Predators and Threats |
| Wolves, coyotes, golden eagles, lynx, grizzly bears, black bears, wolverines, and humans. |
| Habitat |
| Dry mountainous regions and select sub-alpine grass and low shrub terrains; Arctic, Subarctic: most of Alaska, the Yukon Territory, extreme northwest and north-central British Columbia. |
