Habitat use and behavior of male mountain sheep in foraging associations with wild horses
Coates KP and Schemnitz SD. 1994. Habitat use and behavior of male mountain sheep in foraging associations with wild horses. Great Basin Naturalist (Western North American Naturalist). 54(1):86-90
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis canadensis maximize survival by foraging in secure habitats that afford high visibility and have good interspersion of preferred forage plants with escape cover. Good visibility and precipitous escape cover are structural habitat elements that provide mountain sheep with security from predators. Wild horses Equus caballus also maximize survival by foraging in secure habitats with good interspersion of preferred forage plants. However, different structural elements of the habitat provide security for mountain sheep and horses; mountain sheep select foraging areas near precipitous escape terrain while horses select foraging near open, flat terrain. This is due to basic differences in predator escape tactics for the species: mountain sheep climb to avoid predation and horses run. Although grasses dominate the diets of both horses and mountain sheep, each species' predator- avoidance strategy selects for structurally different habitats. However, when spatial distributions overlap, a competitive situation may occur, with mountain sheep being negatively impacted. In several instances such competition with feral equids has resulted in mountain sheep declines.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Coates, Kevin; Schemnitz, Sanford
- Units
- BICA
- Keywords
- Animal Behavior, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area WY, Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis), competition (sheep and horses), Feeding, Food, Habitats, Montana, Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, Wild Horse (Equus caballus), Wyoming