These animals are gregarious and precocial.

What does that mean? Let’s find out!

Gregarious means that North American wild sheep like to be in groups with other wild sheep. Have you ever seen just one sheep by herself? Probably not! These wild animals band together in groups called “flocks” to protect themselves from predators such as coyotes and wolves.

Precocial means that baby sheep, or lambs, are born ready to run! Wild lambs are actually rather independent animals, able to stand and walk shortly after birth.

There are two species of wild sheep in North America—the thinhorn sheep, and the bighorn sheep. All wild sheep live in the western part of North America. Thinhorn sheep live in northern areas such as Canada and Alaska. Bighorn sheep can stand warmer temperatures, and can be found as far south as Mexico!

Interesting sheep fact: sheep have a split in their upper lips,
which allows them to be choosy about which leaves
they pick off plants to eat!

Female sheep are called ewes, and males are called rams. The noise a sheep makes is called a bleat, and lambs form such close bonds with their mothers, they can recognize her bleat out of the whole flock of bleating sheep!