Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Mountain goat:
Icefields Parkway south of Athabasca Falls, Jasper National
Park
•
Mule deer:
Waterton town site, Waterton Lakes National Park
•
Porcupine:
Yoho Valley Road, Yoho National Park
•
White-tailed deer:
Sheep River Valley, Kananaskis Country
•
Wolf:
Bow Valley Parkway, Banff National Park
Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn sheep are some of the most distinctive mammals of the Canadian Rockies. Easily
recognized by their impressive horns, they are often seen grazing on grassy mountain
slopes or at salt licks beside the road. The color of their coat varies with the season; in sum-
mer it's a brownish-gray with a cream-colored belly and rump, turning lighter in winter.
Fully grown males can weigh up to 120 kilograms (270 pounds), while females generally
weigh around 80 kilograms (180 pounds). Both sexes possess horns, rather than antlers
like members of the deer family. Unlike antlers, horns are not shed each year and can grow
to astounding sizes. The horns of rams are larger than those of ewes and curve up to 360
degrees. The spiraled horns of an older ram can measure longer than one meter (3.2 feet)
and weigh as much as 15 kilograms (33 pounds). During the fall mating season, a hierarchy
is established among the rams for the right to breed ewes. As the males face off against
each other to establish dominance, their horns act as both a weapon and a buffer against
the head butting of other rams. The skull structure of the bighorn, rams in particular, has
become adapted to these head-butting clashes, keeping the animals from being knocked
unconscious.
Bighorn sheep are particularly tolerant of humans and often approach parked vehicles;
although they are not especially dangerous, as with all mammals, you should not approach
or feed them.
Bison
Before the arrival of Europeans, millions of bison roamed the North American plains, with
some entering the valleys of the Canadian Rockies to escape harsh winters. Several factors
contributed to their decline, including the combined presence of explorers, settlers, and
natives. By the 1800s they were wiped out, and since then a couple of attempts at reintro-
duction have taken place, including the release of a small herd in Jasper National Park. (No
Search WWH ::
Custom Search