Dall Sheep

Animal Printouts Label Me! Printouts

The Dall sheep (also known as Dall's sheep and the thinhorn) is a hoofed mammal that lives in mountainous regions (alpine tundra and taiga). These mammals inhabit Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Alaska and western Canada. The female is called a ewe the male is called a ram and the !oung are called lambs. "ost of the !ear these sheep gather in segregated herds some consisting of all rams and others containing ewes plus their lambs. Dall sheep are closel! related to goats. Dall sheep have an average life span of about #$ !ears in the wild. %cientific name& Ovis dalli dalli. Anatomy& Dall sheep are sure-footed animals who have a rough pad on the bottom of their two-toed spread-out hooves' the! move well on rough uneven ground. The! have a furr! coat with hollow hairs that protect them from the cold. The coat color varies from white to gra!ish. Dall sheep are about ( feet ()* cm) tall at the shoulder. The curving horns are slender and light brown' the! continue to grow throughout the sheep's lifetime and do not drop off. The horns are made of keratin the same material our fingernails are made of' growth rings on the horns called annuli tell us how old a sheep is. Diet& Dall sheep are herbivores (plant-eaters) who spend most of the da! gra+ing. The! eat grass leaves herbs twigs and shoots. ,n the winter the! eat lichens. Dall sheep swallow their food without chewing it much. -ater the! regurgitate the food (then called a cud) and chew it thoroughl! before swallowing it again. Predators& .ears golden eagles wolves and humans are predators of Dall sheep.