Seasonality of births in bighorn sheep
Hass CC. 1997. Seasonality of births in bighorn sheep. Journal of Mammalogy. 78(4):1251-1260
Two populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in contrasting habitats at the same latitude were studied for 3 years to examine effects of climate and nutrition on seasonality of births. The number of births peaked during February and March in the Mojave Desert and during mid-June in the Rocky Mountains. Yearly differences in season of birth were apparent in the Mojave Desert, but not in the Rocky Mountains. Comparisons with captive and transplanted populations revealed that desert subspecies of bighorn sheep gave birth earlier in the year and had longer seasons of birth than northern subspecies. Bighorn sheep appear to give birth when temperature and nutrition are most conductive to survival of offspring.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Hass, Christine
- Units
- JOTR
- Keywords
- Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis), fecal indices, Mojave Desert, Nutrition, Parturition, Reproduction, Rocky Mountains, Seasonality