Bighorn Identifying Characteristics
Male and female bighorn sheep have horns, even young lambs, but adult rams have significantly larger horns than ewes (see photos of females and lamb above, males below).
Note the yellow right eartag on the ewe, above, and the red right eartag on the ram, below. Eartag color and configuration are how we identify individual sheep (eartag number is even better if you get close enough to see it). Collar color and size are other helpful identifiers.
Adult rams and ewes look very different from each other and are easy to tell apart. Not only do adult rams have much bigger and more flared horns, they are also much larger in body size.
Young rams can be difficult to distinguish from ewes (see drawings above and photo below). Rams have horns that are more flared than ewes, and they are thicker at the horn base.
Below is a photo sent to us by a backcountry skier. Some observations, such as this one, can yield priceless data and let us know a collared animal is still alive.
