NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Bighorn Sheep
Ovis canadensis Shaw, 1804
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
This Bighorn was seen just below the summit of Mt. Wheeler in New Mexico.
Jwanamaker · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) or bighorn is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns, a pair of them may weigh up to 14 kg (30 lb); the sheep altogether typically weigh up to 143 kg (315 lb). Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: O. c. sierrae.
Sheep originally crossed to North America over the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia; the population in North America peaked in the millions, and the bighorn sheep entered into the mythology of Native Americans. By 1900, the population had crashed to several thousand due to diseases introduced through European livestock and overhunting.
Wikipedia contributors, Bighorn sheep; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:01:11.541115+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ovis canadensis Shaw, 1804
- Name authority
- Shaw, 1804
- Common name
- Bighorn Sheep
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Ovis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderArtiodactyla Owen, 1848
- familyBovidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyAntilopinae Gray, 1821
- tribeCaprini Gray, 1821
- genusOvis Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesOvis canadensis Shaw, 1804
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ovis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Snow SheepOvis nivicola Eschscholtz, 1829 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Marco Polo ArgaliOvis polii Blyth, 1840 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ladakh UrialOvis vignei Blyth, 1841 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Altai ArgaliOvis ammon (Linnaeus, 1758) | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bukhara UrialOvis bochariensis Nasonov, 1914 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tibetan ArgaliOvis hodgsoni Blyth, 1841 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Laristan SheepOvis laristanica Nasonov, 1909 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Karatau ArgaliOvis nigrimontana Severtzov, 1873 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Punjab UrialOvis punjabiensis Lydekker, 1913 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Severtzov's ArgaliOvis severtzovi Nasonov, 1914 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Domestic SheepOvis aries Linnaeus, 1758 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dall's SheepOvis dalli Nelson, 1884 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180711 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4B9VG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.