The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep is a large mammal in the family Bovidae. To avoid deep snow and to find forage during winter, the sheep either occupy high elevation windswept ridges or migrate to lower elevation sagebrush-steppe habitats. Bighorn sheep are primarily grazers, consuming various plants such as needlegrasses, currant, sagebrush, bitterbrush, buckwheats, and sedges depending on season and location. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are diurnal and gregarious with group size and composition depending on gender and season. |
| The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep occurs in Tuolumne, Mono, Fresno, Inyo, and Tulare counties in California. They inhabit open upland, montane, and alpine habitats with rocky areas along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada from about 4,000 feet to approximately 14,500 feet. Most of the sheep live at higher elevations in the subalpine and alpine areas during the summer. |
