Bighorn Sheep Clash

This clash of bighorn sheep was observed in the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the fall of 2019. It was an epic battle, but in the end, no clear winner emerged...

(Note: These two sparring youngsters are actually ewes, one a yearling and one a lamb. Bighorn ewes will sometimes fight one another for dominance and sometimes just because one annoyed the other. Big Game Biologist Brett Wiedmann said that in a bighorn ewe group, “…there are usually a couple of boss ewes. Typically, older ewes like to whoop-up on younger ewes.”)