This is one of the largest most impressive male Big Horn Sheep that I have seen in Waterton Lakes National Park. It’s hard to tell from this angle, but seeing the Big Horn Sheep side-on, it was hard to get an image where you could actually see it’s eye because the curl of the horns wrapped right around in front of them. This guy certainly has the “don’t mess with me” look about him.

These horns will be put to use during the mating season where Big Horn Sheep will butt heads (see Butting Heads) in order to establish dominance and determine who gets the opportunity to mate with the females. Unlike ungulates (like Deer & Elk), Big Horn Sheep don’t shed their horns, and instead they grow from the time they are born until they die, and can be used as a way to approximate the age of the sheep based on the full rings on the horns.

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Taken: December 17, 2016
Location: Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal Length: 286mm
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 320
Exposure: 1/500