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Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep
| Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ewes and lambs on Wheeler Crest | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Tribe: | Caprini |
| Genus: | Ovis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | O. c. sierrae
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Ovis canadensis sierrae (Grinnell, 1912)
| |
The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) is subspecies of bighorn sheep unique to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.[3] A 2016 genetics study confirmed significant divergence between the three subspecies of North America's bighorn sheep: Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and desert bighorn sheep.[4] Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep were listed as a federally endangered subspecies in 2000.[5] In 2016, over 600 Sierra bighorn remained in the wild.[6] However, in 2023, more recent studies indicate that the population has dropped to approximately half, or 300. This is due to high levels of mountain lion predation combined with heavy snowfall, threatening the species even further. [7]
- ^ "Ovis canadensis sierrae. NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ "Sierra Nevada Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) species profile". Environmental Conservation Online System. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. March 3, 2010.
- ^ Wehausen, J.D.; V.C. Bleich; R.R. Ramey II (2005). "Correct Nomenclature for Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep" (PDF). California Fish and Game. 91 (3): 216–218. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-07-16.
- ^ Buchalski, Michael R.; Sacks, Benjamin N.; Gille, Daphne A.; Penedo, Maria Cecilia T.; Ernest, Holly B.; Morrison, Scott A.; Boyce, Walter M. (2016). "Phylogeographic and population genetic structure of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in North American deserts". Journal of Mammalogy. 97 (3): 823–838. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyw011. PMC 5993094. PMID 29899578.
- ^
This article incorporates public domain material from Designation of Critical Habitat for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) and Taxonomic Revision; Final Rule (PDF). Fish and Wildlife Service. (73 FR 45534).
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
fishandgamewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program". wildlife.ca.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
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