Little Bighorns is a photograph by Marty Fancy which was uploaded on July 19th, 2014.
Little Bighorns
These lambs were part of a small flock found along the Cascade River in Stewart Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
The bighorn... more
by Marty Fancy
Title
Little Bighorns
Artist
Marty Fancy
Medium
Photograph
Description
These lambs were part of a small flock found along the Cascade River in Stewart Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to 30 lb., while the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 lb. Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: O. c. sierrae. Sheep originally crossed to North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia: the population in North America peaked in the millions, and the bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Americans. By 1900, the population had crashed to several thousand, due to diseases introduced through European livestock and overhunting. Conservation efforts (in part by the Boy Scouts) have restored the population.
The Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep occupy the cooler mountainous regions of Canada and the United States. In contrast, the desert bighorn sheep subspecies are indigenous to the hot desert ecosystems of the Southwestern United States.
Bighorn sheep live in large flocks, and do not typically follow a single leader ram, unlike the mouflon, the ancestor of the domestic sheep, which has a strict dominance hierarchy.
The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is the provincial mammal of Alberta and the state animal of Colorado and as such is incorporated into the symbol for the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife. Two hundred years ago, bighorn sheep were widespread throughout the western US, Canada, and northern Mexico. Some estimates placed their population at over 2 million. By around 1900, hunting, competition from ranching, and diseases had decreased the population to several thousand. A program of reintroductions, natural parks, and reduced hunting, together with a decrease in domesticated sheep near the end of World War II, allowed the bighorn sheep to make a comeback. In 1936, the Arizona Boy Scouts mounted a state-wide campaign to save the bighorn sheep. The Scouts first became interested in the sheep through the efforts of Major Frederick Russell Burnham, the noted conservationist who has been called the "Father of Scouting".
Uploaded
July 19th, 2014
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Comments (133)
Gary F Richards
Outstanding adorable - Little Bighorns composition, lighting, shading, lovely color and artwork! F/L voted
Gary F Richards
Congratulations on your winning 3rd Place tie in the contest… SPRING FEATURE GROUP LOGO FOR RED MAPLE GALLERY! F/L
Hanne Lore Koehler
Congratulations, Marty, on your SPRING FEATURE GROUP LOGO FOR RED MAPLE GALLERY contest win with this adorable lamb capture! L/F/Voted
Judy Vincent
Adorable capture! Congratulations! This will be the “Seeing Double” photo of the day on the USA Photographers group home page for 2/7/23!
Maria Faria Rodrigues
Congratulations, Marty, on FEATURED PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WEEK, in Red Maple Gallery, homepage group, of Fine Art America!
Gary F Richards
Congratulations on your winning 2nd Place in the contest… SPRING GROUP LOGO CONTEST FOR RED MAPLE GALLERY! Fl
Gary F Richards
Spectacular animal composition, lighting, shading, colors and artwork! F/L voted for this piece in the contest YOUR BEST ANIMALS WORK
Gary F Richards
Excellent animal composition, lighting, shading, color and artwork! F/L voted for this piece in the contest TWO ANIMALS
Joy McAdams
Marty, congratulations on your tie for 2nd Place in the Nature Of Canada Winter 2021 Logo contest! This pair is so incredibly cute- a wonderful capture!