amnhnyc:

🐏Male sheep older than two years leave their mothers to follow a leading ram. Horn and body size determine rank. Can you tell who the leader is here?

🖼Today’s Exhibit of the Day features a “bachelor band” of bighorn sheep standing before Mount Athabasca in the Canadian Rockies. The leader of this band is certainly the ram on the right. Male bighorn sheep have the most elaborate horns of any North American species. But they’re not just ornaments. They’re integral for mating and defense. See this diorama up close in the Hall of North American Mammals!

Photo: E. Louis/ © AMNH

#animalfacts #bighornsheep #sheep #nature #dyk #naturalhistory #museums #amnh #diorama (at American Museum of Natural History)
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