Bighorn Sheep

Conservation and Management Plan Update

The public comment period for the Draft Conservation and Management Plan for Bighorn Sheep in California (PDF) ended on October 21, 2024. The Plan is now being revised and will be published by the end of the year.

Taxonomy

several bighorn sheep clustered on steep hillside
Bighorn Sheep on Sand Mountain (2008).

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Suborder: Ruminantia
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Scientific Name (Genus species): Ovis canadensis

Size

Length: 5 feet
Height: 2 ½ – 3 ¼ feet (at shoulders)
Weight: Adult Male (Ram) 120 – 220 pounds; Adult Female (Ewe) 100 – 155 pounds

Life Span

Rams 10 – 13 years maximum; Ewes 12 – 20 years maximum

Range

map of california showing Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep along sothern Sierra Nevada mountains, peninsular desert bighorn sheep along central mountains of Riverside and San Diego counties, and other bighorn sheep across many mountain ranges in southeastern California
Range of Bighorn Sheep in California. PDF version of map.

Wildlife Branch - Game Program
1010 Riverside Parkway, West Sacramento, CA 95605
Mailing: P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090
(916) 557-3444